Damned If You Don't
by mushineko
Summary: Sequel to Damned If You Do, Sesshoumaru is now in the modern world and while looking into a werewolf sighting, finds Rin's reincarnation.
1. Chapter 1 Prologue: Into The Modern Era

I was asked to do a sequel to "Damned If You Do", so here it is: "Damned If You Don't".

It is set in modern day, 2009 and is my opinion on why youkai have become myths.

Blanket disclaimer: No money is made on this story as all copy rights belong to Rumiko Takahashi and Viz. The story is purely for enjoyment. Only original characters, such as Shiyota, Moriko and Hikaru, belong to me.

Prologue: Into the Modern Era

The late night rain poured down on the small shipyard. On the dock, by one of the ships, two men were talking. They didn't seem to notice the cold or the rain.

"Are you willing?"

"Yes. I know the seas better than anyone."

Sesshoumaru nodded. "Good."

"You've done well for yourself," Shiyota said. "And for the rest of us." Shiyota, always dressed in black, had short black hair and dark brown eyes. He looked Japanese, but he was actually a water youkai, his true form similar to that of an eel. His life was spent on and in the sea. He had seen what happened to other youkai, the slayings and hunts, youkai numbers dwindling. He had seen what Sesshoumaru had done. He had been inspired and adapted. But being a water youkai, he needed to be by the sea. So when Sesshoumaru had approached him with his proposal, he had been pleased.

"I know some of the best captains. I will persuade them to join me."

"Good." Sesshoumaru thought a moment. "I also need people who can keep their eyes open for problems."

Shiyota nodded, understanding what Sesshoumaru wanted. "They can do that as well." He bowed to Sesshoumaru. "Arigatou gozaimasu, Sesshoumaru-sama." Shiyota was quite pleased to be a part of this new way of surviving the new century. It kept him out of trouble, gave him something to do and kept him by the sea.

Sesshoumaru, dressed in his customary white, hair cut to mid-back and tied back, was relieved. He hadn't lived as long as he had by being careless. His shipping company, which had started out as land based was expanding to overseas. He wanted the best he could find for the shipyard. Shiyota was the new shipyard's boss. He would make the schedules and keep the ship captains informed of the weather at sea.

Over the last four hundred years, Sesshoumaru had done as Rin had suggested. Protected humans from youkai.

On a suggestion from Shanshita, InuYasha and Kagome had gone back to the future to set up a safe house for youkai that may need help. InuYasha had already been there, Kagome's family was used to the unusual so the Higurashi Shrine was a good place to make a safe house.

Shanshita, Hi'Iki and Sesshoumaru were the inspiration for adapting to humans among youkai. Shanshita and Hi'Iki found it easy to act more human, but Sesshoumaru had a harder time of it. Not being overly fond of humans, it went against his nature to act human. Yet he did it.

Apart from Hi'Iki's family, Kouga and his pack were the first to adapt, but only because Kagome talked to him before she left.

Of the three groups of youkai, the ones with human form were more likely to live into modern era if they adapted. The animalistic forms were almost, if not completely, wiped out by youkai slayers and other "witch" hunters. The youkai with animal form but intelligence and able to talk; found it harder and harder to survive. They couldn't hide their appearance, so were hunted as well. This was a world wide phenomenon. Every country had its own version of youkai, whether called demons, spirits or supernatural beings. They were all hunted until they vanished. As youkai were less often seen, they became the stuff of legend and myth.

Those youkai who wished to live into the modern era, followed the guidelines put out by Shanshita and enforced by Sesshoumaru. Never allow humans to see your true nature, act as human as possible, look as human as possible and above all else, leave humans alone.

A lot can happen in four hundred years. Sesshoumaru experienced being a father for the first time with the birth of the twins, Moriko and Hikaru. Moriko looked much like her mother, except with puppy ears. She was happy, friendly, curious and intelligent. Hikaru looked more like Sesshoumaru, with one stripe on each cheek instead of two. He was a little more reserved, curious, intelligent and an explorer.

Rin, being human, didn't have the life span of her mate and children. Though Sesshoumaru's blood extended her life, she was still human. Rin's death was the worst thing Sesshoumaru ever experienced. The twins were still young when Rin died, and needed their father. That alone helped Sesshoumaru through the emotional upheaval of his mate's death.

Sesshoumaru had realized early on that he would need money and a base to work from. He tried different jobs but soon found what suited him best. It didn't take him long to organize a company that shipped packages overland with the safest record. It started with horses and wagons and went to cars and trucks.

By the time the early 1900's came around, Sesshoumaru had a well established land based shipping company. It was the safest company by far to send any package any where in Japan. It had made Sesshoumaru a small fortune.

By the 1940's, with his company doing so well, Sesshoumaru wanted to expand. So he sought out a water youkai. This is how he came to be talking to Shiyota. Only the best would work for his company. There were several youkai who worked for Sesshoumaru. Apart from making shipments safer, they were also his eyes and ears, keeping track of other youkai. Outside Japan, Hi'Iki was his eyes and ears.

As the 1900's progressed, Sesshoumaru had found a way to hide his markings, always wore sunglasses, refused pictures and was rarely seen in public. The age problem was a little harder to over come. Hikaru looked enough like his father that they were able to "pass the company on from father to son". While Hikaru appeared to take over, Sesshoumaru still worked behind the scenes. When Hikaru "aged" enough, Sesshoumaru took over again.

By the 1960's, Shiro Inu Exports made Sesshoumaru a vast fortune. It wasn't the largest shipping company, but was by far the safest. The logo of a large white dog standing guard next to a freight wagon was well known through out Japan.

But Sesshoumaru still missed Rin. He had done what he did for Rin. He wished she were here to see what he had made. Every 50 years or so, he went on a search, looking for Rin's reincarnation. He knew that someday he would find her.

With all the advances in the 20th century, Sesshoumaru found some things easier, others harder. He found a more permanent solution for covering his markings, went from sunglasses to colored contacts, from paper to computer, from cars and trucks to modern ships and planes, as well as more modern trucks.

To keep his identity secret, Sesshoumaru stayed out of the public eye, refusing to allow pictures. He employed a youkai "doctor" to avoid ever needing to go to a hospital for any reason, and was considered a reclusive eccentric. He didn't care what the public thought of him as long as they didn't find out his true nature.

Another modern invention he took full use of was the internet. He searched for strange phenomenon, supernatural creatures, so called demons and other odd sightings. Most were either hoaxes, natural phenomenon or mis-identification. On rare occasions he had to go sort out a youkai that was mis-behaving.

By 2008, Sesshoumaru needed another pair of eyes to search. Telling the company he had "discovered" he had a half brother, he went to talk to InuYasha. He judged that InuYasha and Kagome should be back to the future by this time. Taking his time, he "searched" for his brother and finally found a "lead", the Higurashi Shrine.

Arriving at the Shrine early one spring morning, Sesshoumaru wasn't exactly sure what the result would be. He slowly went up the stairs leading to the Shrine.

"InuYasha, put that box in the shed there." Kagome pointed where she wanted the box to go. She was dressed in a t-shirt and jeans for cleaning out the building that held the well.

InuYasha, dressed similar to Kagome but with a baseball hat covering his ears, followed the directions. He placed the box on a shelf with several other similar boxes. He was followed by Hoshi, the toddler.

Kagome and InuYasha were busy with spring cleaning and tried to get Hoshi to help, but the toddler just followed them around, sometimes getting in the way.

"Go play with Souta!" InuYasha finally growled, almost tripping over the toddler. Hoshi ran out of the shed, looking unhappy.

Kagome was busy cleaning and thought that InuYasha was watching Hoshi and InuYasha thought Hoshi had gone to find Souta to play with. So both were surprised to hear a delighted screech and a cry of "Oji-san!"

They both rushed out to find Hoshi hugging the legs of a man standing at the top of the stairs. They stopped and stared.

"Sesshoumaru?" InuYasha looked at him. He looked like Sesshoumaru, but the markings were missing as well as the fur mantle, his hair was shorter and as InuYasha got closer, realized the eyes were dark brown. The scent was un-mistakably Sesshoumaru though.

Gently removing Hoshi from his legs, Sesshoumaru commented, "Who else would I be?"

"You, you look so…" InuYasha hesitated.

"Human?" Sesshoumaru look slightly disgusted.

"Yeah." When InuYasha last saw Sesshoumaru, a few months before from his perspective, Sesshoumaru had looked his usual self, fur mantle, long hair, facial markings, and gold eyes. By contrast, InuYasha's eyes were still gold as he hadn't been anywhere but at the shrine.

"So what are you doing here?" InuYasha asked.

"InuYasha!" Kagome chided him. "Would you like to come in for a drink or something to eat?" Kagome asked. She didn't think he'd accept but felt it polite to ask.

Sesshoumaru shook his head. "I have a job for you, InuYasha."

"Huh?" He hadn't expected that.

"My company, Shiro Inu Exports, needs a security chief." He really didn't want to explain everything to InuYasha but the confused look on InuYasha's face told he would have to.

"Basically it means you are responsible for keeping the company safe." Kagome explained before Sesshoumaru could say anything. "Let's go get something to eat and you can tell us what we need to know." Kagome led everyone into the house.

Fortunately for Sesshoumaru, everyone was out. Even Souta, which is why Hoshi had followed his parents around all morning.

Kagome made a quick snack and some tea and offered it to Sesshoumaru who refused. InuYasha took his. He thought while he ate. He and Sesshoumaru had come to a silent agreement not so long ago, at least from InuYasha's point of view, and he understood that this was a part of that understanding. Sesshoumaru wanted someone he could trust. InuYasha nodded.

Sesshoumaru stood up. "Meet me tomorrow morning at my office." He gave InuYasha the address. "Just tell them you are Takashi's brother. And disguise your eyes." He walked out without any further explanation.

Kagome sighed. "I wish he were more talkative. I would like to know how he got this far."

"Keh! He will never explain himself unless he feels we need to know." InuYasha shook his head. He was surprised but pleased that Sesshoumaru had sought him out for this job.

"Disguise my eyes," InuYasha growled.

"We'll get you colored contacts. He's right you know. You can't go out with golden cat eyes."

InuYasha made a soft growling sound but agreed.

"I really would like to know how he managed." Kagome had done extensive research on myths and legends. Any youkai who survived into the 21st century would have to pass as human. Sesshoumaru did, even if he wasn't happy about it. It made her wonder who else may have survived. So far, they hadn't gotten any contacts from other youkai, but then they weren't very well advertised either. Kagome was working on a website, called Youkai Welcome. She was trying to make it so if a youkai looked at the website, they might feel comfortable contacting her. To a human it looked like a "do you believe?" type website. She hadn't gotten any responses from her website, but then she was still working on it.

So the next day, InuYasha found himself at a large warehouse on the waterfront. Kagome had made him dress in dress pants and a button down shirt so he looked decent. Otherwise he would have worn jeans and a t-shirt. InuYasha preferred comfort to looks. He went in and found himself at a large desk. Off to the right, was a door that led to the storage area. To the left was a hallway with several other offices.

"May I help you?" the woman sitting there asked.

"Yeah. I'm Takashi's brother. He wants to see me."

"Oh yes, he mentioned that." She smiled. "I can see the resemblance. Up two levels and through the double doors."

InuYasha nodded. He took the stairs. The building was only three stories and he didn't care for the small space of the elevator. He came out of the stairs in a short hallway, facing a large room. The room had a couple of small tables, several chairs and maps on two of the walls. The last wall was all windows with a view of the water. The short hallway led off to the double doors. After looking around the "maproom", he went through the double doors.

Sesshoumaru was sitting at a large desk. Sesshoumaru wore his customary white: white t-shirt under a white sport jacket, white dress pants and white walking shoes.

There was a large map on the wall behind the desk. Windows filled one wall, allowing plenty of light in. On the third wall was a large bookcase and filing cabinet.

"So what am I supposed to do?"

Sesshoumaru handed him some files. "Get to know these people. The security office is down one level."

InuYasha took the files and went to the security office. In a short time he was head of security and second in charge.

Notes:

I am basing my time line on the starting of the manga in Japan in 1996.

For me personally I am opened minded about strange phenomenon. I watch MonsterQuest, Destination Truth and just started watching Lost Tapes on Animal Planet. MonsterQuest recently proved there are large sharks that swim up the Saint Lawrence River. These are Greenland sharks and can get quite large. The one their film crew filmed was a female between 10 and 12 feet.

It makes me wonder, What if?


	2. Chapter 2 American Werewolf or Youkai?

Chapter 2 American Werewolf or Youkai?

Sesshoumaru was standing at the windows, looking over the shipyard. Located just outside of Zushi city, it was outside of Tokyo Harbor. Not as crowded or busy as Tokyo; Sesshoumaru preferred the relative quietness. He had been going over the figures for the first half of the year, as it was June, and his company was doing well. He turned when InuYasha came in.

"Sesshoumaru, you might want to see this." He opened Sesshoumaru's laptop and turned it on. He did a quick search for an image. "What do you make of that?"

Sesshoumaru went to the desk and stared at the image. There were actually two. One showed a lake and woods and what appeared to be creature standing behind some trees. The second picture showed a blurry close up of the creature. It looked somewhat like a baboon and seemed to be holding something. He read the caption. It was called an "American Werewolf". He did a mental check on known youkai in America and came up blank. None were trouble makers. He did another mental check of youkai in Mexico and Canada. Again he came up blank. Very few youkai in the 21st century wanted their identity known to the human population.

"Reminds me of Naraku. Could be a youkai, but I don't know who it could be. Any press?"

InuYasha made a face. "Yeah, not a pleasant thought. Plenty of press including a movie."

Sesshoumaru sat at the desk and did a search on the "American Werewolf". He frowned at all the coverage. "If this isn't a hoax and is a real youkai and it gets caught…" he let the sentence trail off.

"You gonna go?" InuYasha asked.

Sesshoumaru nodded. "I need to do more research on it first. You're in charge here."

InuYasha nodded. The company had been told InuYasha was a half brother that Sesshoumaru, or Takashi as he was known here, had recently discovered. The humans believed the story. They had no problem with InuYasha as security chief and second in command when Sesshoumaru was gone. The youkai that worked for Sesshoumaru knew the truth. They also had no problem with the arrangement.

Sesshoumaru took his laptop and went home. On the rare occasion he went off to check out possible youkai sightings, the company was told he was checking out a product someone wanted to ship over seas. Sesshoumaru refused to ship anything that might not be safe and he did a personal check on the product. He flatly refused to ship oil, as it is dangerous and toxic to the environment.

Once at home, he did a thorough internet check on the "American Werewolf". It had been described as a bear-dog, Bigfoot, and a mutant canine. In other areas of Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota it was called the Bluff Monster and Shunka Warakin. It was seen several times on particular stretch of road, called Bray Road. Most people who had seen it felt threatened and didn't stop their cars. A group of collage students claimed to have seen more than one drinking from a lake. Most of the recent sightings took place in the 1980's and early 1990's. Then they stopped. Then in 2006, a hiker disappeared. And the sightings started up again. Several other people disappeared over the next few years. It seemed as if the creature had become bolder and started going after people.

Next, Sesshoumaru did a search of the area, keeping in mind any youkai that live in the Untied States, Mexico and Canada. A youkai can migrate a considerable distance. Sesshoumaru checked for any odd happenings from Mexico to Canada. A sighting of something called a chupacabra, or some odd dog-like creature in the southwest and Puerto Rico. From the information that was gathered, Sesshoumaru agreed that the dog like creature was most likely a coyote or coyote mix with a bad hair day. It appeared to be hairless. A sheriff in Texas had filmed one with his dashboard camera in 2008. He narrowed his search to the Midwest. Nothing. He got in touch with Hi'Iki.

"Any youkai acting up in the United States?"

"No. Youkai there keep very low profiles. There're too many people who are happy to investigate odd sightings there and film them. Why?"

"There are reports of an 'American Werewolf' in the state of Wisconsin."

"You think it may be an unhappy youkai?"

"Could be. If so, it's someone we don't know. I'm going to check it out."

"Need help?"

"I'll call if I do. I don't want a repeat of the 1967 bridge incident. So I'm just going to scout around and see what's going on."

"Okay. Be careful."

Sesshoumaru hung up and went back to his search. It was beginning to look like either a hoax or an unknown youkai causing problems. Sesshoumaru was beginning to suspect the latter. If it was a youkai, it seemed to be getting its kicks out of frightening humans and possibly killing them, if the disappearances are linked to the sightings. He thought about the bridge incident. He didn't want any of the news sensationalism that had happened then. A youkai had been frightening people for a few months and when Sesshoumaru had confronted the youkai, the youkai had destroyed a bridge before Sesshoumaru could stop him. Sesshoumaru was sure humans had found out about them, but reports of UFO's and "men in black" deflected everything towards "aliens". Sesshoumaru knew the so called lights had actually been himself, in his ball of light form. While the news had dubbed the youkai "The Mothman", his true youkai nature was never known. It was time to go to the US and look more closely into this "American Werewolf" story.

The late night road was almost black. Ross's headlights were the only illumination on the road. He needed to pee, so he pulled over to the side and got out. He walked to the trees, relieved himself and got back in the truck. Despite living in his truck and being a Jack of all trades, Ross made good money. His truck was a brand new Dodge Ram. He started the truck and pulled onto the road. The thump on the cab startled him and he slammed on the brakes, thinking a branch or something had fallen. The unearthly growl told him otherwise. Flooring the accelerator, Ross shot down the road, and something fell or jumped off. He didn't get a good look at it; he was too scared and kept on going. Suddenly something loomed up in the road a few yards ahead. It had glowing eyes. Slamming on the brakes once again, Ross spun the wheel, fish-tailing slightly and sped back the way he had come. He turned off Bray Road onto Plank and kept going until he saw a light and a gas station. He pulled into the gas station. It was closed, but at least there was a light.

He sat, shaking. The whole thing had completely unnerved him. It took several minutes for him to calm down. Finally, he felt calm and brave enough to get out and check his truck. The cab had a big dent and scratches on the roof. Ross got back in the truck and sat thinking. He had always liked it out here. It seemed safer than in the big city. Now he wasn't so sure. He headed into Elkhorn to the Sheriff's department to report the incident.

The creature stood in the middle of the road and watched the truck speed away. Had any human been within ear shot, they would have heard a hissing laughter. Loping away on all fours, the creature continued to laugh. It enjoyed tormenting humans. Seeing humans so frightened gave it a thrill, a rush of pure joy. It went in search of new prey.

"Daddy, where are you going?" Moriko stood in the bedroom's doorway.

Sesshoumaru looked up at the sound of her voice. He had been packing a small overnight carrier. "There's a problem in the United States."

"Will you be gone long?" Moriko had always called Sesshoumaru Daddy. Hikaru called him Father, affectionate but respectful. Moriko had a deeper bond with her father. Moriko had often followed him around when she was younger, much like Rin had. Unlike with Rin however, Sesshoumaru's paternal instincts had kicked in and he was much more attentive, protective and strict with Moriko. He never let her out of his sight when they traveled together. He was strict with Hikaru as well, and a little harder on him when it came to teaching lessons, but allowed more freedom when it came to wandering. Hikaru was more adventurous and Sesshoumaru let him learn some things the hard way.

While both children needed him after Rin's death, it was Moriko's compassion that helped Sesshoumaru deal with Rin's death.

As the twins got older, Hikaru tended to go exploring more while Moriko stayed with Sesshoumaru. Hikaru now spent a lot of time with Shiyota at the shipyard, or off exploring somewhere, always on the look out for "bad behavior" as he called it. Moriko tended to spend time at home, or with "Uncle Inu and Aunt Kagome". It was Moriko who had told Kagome about what transpired in those 450 years.

Home was no longer the castle in the little valley. That had been destroyed by youkai slayers. They had been a group of monks and bandits joined together to slay youkai. Sesshoumaru and the twins had been with Hi'Iki when it happened. Rin, Daira and Jaken had been killed, the castle burned to the ground. That group of slayers didn't live long enough to realize their mistake.

The new home was in the Kitatsuru District, still in the mountains, still isolated from humanity. Over time it became a little modernized. Moriko had her own small house in the suburbs of Tokyo but she often came here to visit.

"I'm not sure. Depends on what I find."

Moriko nodded. "I'm going to stay with Uncle Inu." She gave him a hug. "Be careful," she whispered.

Sesshoumaru returned the hug and nodded. "Always."

After she left, Sesshoumaru finished packing. He put his two swords in the specially made walking stick. It was made of a special wood that hid the properties of metal. It could go through an x-ray machine or metal detector without revealing the swords. This was convenient for flying. Sesshoumaru didn't care to fly in a metal object; he'd prefer to do his own. However, in this modern century with all the sophisticated detection systems and so many eyes on the sky, that wasn't an option. So plane it would have to be.

Next he looked up flights to the US. There was one leaving for Chicago by way of San Francisco the next day before noon. He figured he could rent a car in Chicago and drive from there. He made his reservations. Then he took the time to study a map of the Chicago area and of the southern part of Wisconsin. He committed to memory the routes he planned on taking. He thought of finding a hotel to stay in but decided against it. He wasn't to keen on staying at a big popular hotel with lots of people. He preferred to find something a little more out of the way and quiet.

He decided to look up car rental places and found several in the Chicago area. Picking Enterprise, he reserved a car for himself. He didn't have to worry about it when he got there. The car would be ready to go.

The next day, shortly after noon, he was on his way, from Tokyo to Osaka, Osaka to San Francisco to Chicago. At O'Hare he made his way to the Enterprise rental place and got his car. It was mid-sized, practical and non-descript. He headed north.

Notes:

After doing a map search, I have either added things that aren't there or changed them to suit my story. Sesshoumaru's shipyard is in fact a nice little Marina. There is no gas station on the stretch of road I mentioned; the road itself is real.

Sightings of an unknown creature in Wisconsin gave me the idea for the background of the story. I did some research into the sightings, and have changed things to suit my story. If interested, do a google search for the Beast of Bray Road.

The Beast of Bray Road was made into a movie and the pictures I described are on the internet, though I changed my description somewhat. "The Beast of Bray Road" aired on Sci-Fi over the last weekend, 15th or 16th .

The "Chupacabra" I mentioned was in fact actually filmed by a sheriff in Texas. It does look like an odd coyote, sparsely furred with a large muzzle. Two dead ones were found with leathery skin and no fur and were genetically tested and are related to coyotes.

And a thank you to Plumespixie for pointing out the misunderstanding about who the mothman was and the idea of what the UFO sightings really were.


	3. Chapter 3 What Dreams Reveal

**Chapter 2 What Dreams Reveal**

In the dream, Sherrin was a little girl being chased by wolves. She was rescued by a man dressed in white with long white hair.

She woke when she felt something jump on her. It was Maverick, her large black cat. The dream wasn't the first. She'd been having them for over a year now. They were always about a dark haired girl or woman and a man with long white hair. She couldn't understand why she was having them. She was thinking of finding someone who could explain her dreams.

Sherrin got up, dumping a complaining Maverick off her bed and took a shower. She combed her long dark brown hair and put it in a ponytail. She dressed in her usual jeans and t-shirt and made herself a quick breakfast.

"What do you think, Maverick? Should I find out what those dreams mean?"

"Meow" the big cat demanded. Sherrin stroked the long silky fur. She had rescued him as a kitten and found out he was a bobcat mix when she took him to the vet. It explained his large size. Maverick weighed between 25 and 30 pounds and he wasn't fat.

After eating, she cleaned her dishes and got her purse and car keys. She had decided to go to Milwaukee and see a hypnotist about her dreams. The day before she had done an internet search on dreams and found out a lot about them. Most theories on dreams are that they help us sort out the day's events and emotions. But none of that helped Sherrin. Her dreams were always about the same two people. This one site had a link to a hypnotist who specialized in dreams. She had checked the man, a Professor Devon Wilsjhire, out and e-mailed him. He believed the theory that dreams sorted out the daily emotions and events. But sometimes, they are of past events and maybe even from past lives.

Prof. Wilshire had e-mailed back saying he'd like to meet with her whenever she was willing to make the time. Before leaving, she turned on the radio. She had read somewhere that animals left home alone did better with music than with silence, so she always left the radio on for Maverick. A news report was on, talking about another disappearance and the sighting of a strange creature. "… had an encounter the night before on Bray Road and had the roof of his truck dented and scratched up by whatever the creature was. It was too dark to see much, all he saw were glowing eyes." The report went on to mention a few disappearances and other sightings of the strange creature.

The thought of going to Milwaukee didn't excite her. She had lived in Milwaukee, on the corner of 28th and Wright Street, in a two story house she rented for four years. Milwaukee held bad memories for her. Her parents had died in a car accident while she was at the university, studying art. They had driven down from Green Bay to see her graduate. Then, a little later, the relationship she was in ended badly. So she had decided to move out to Elkhorn, where she had inherited her grandparents' house. The house was of moderate size, one story, with two bedrooms, two baths, a spacious kitchen, large living room, and a den. The den was her workshop. There was a bookcase with art books and how to books, animal books, sketch books and canvases. A cabinet held a collection of brushes, paints, pencils and pastels. There was an easel in the middle of the room. Two large windows allowed plenty of light in.

She was comfortably well off, so indulged in doing freelance art. She did well painting murals and her favorite subject, people's pets. She had just completed a mural in Madison. Her artwork was masterful and she was well paid for her work.

So the thought of going to Milwaukee wasn't a pleasant one. Looking around the living room to see if she missed anything, Sherrin spotted her book she had been reading, "Son of Darkness". She had left it on her desk. Picking it up, she went to the bookcase. It covered almost one whole wall of the living room. She was an avid reader, the bookcase held an odd collection of non fiction, thriller, horror, sci-fi, fantasy, romance, westerns, suspense and mystery. Her favorite was fantasy. Changing her mind, she put the paperback in her purse.

Once outside, Sherrin looked around. The early June sun shown brightly on the lawn and on the porch. Maverick followed her out. He had his own kitty door in the kitchen to go in and out whenever he wanted, so Sherrin wasn't too worried about leaving him outside. Maverick hopped up on the railing and stretched out in the sun. Sherrin looked at him. "You look like a broken down 'monorail cat'", she laughed. She was referring to the lolcats website with funny cat pictures and captions. Maverick ignored her remark.

Sherrin walked to her car, a dark blue Toyota Rav4. Her needs were simple; a practical versatile vehicle that wasn't large. She got her keys and shook them out to untangle them. They fell on the ground next to the car. As she bent to pick them up, she noticed some very odd looking tracks along the edge of the driveway. They were too narrow to be bear, too long to be raccoon, cat or dog, of any kind. They had toes and claw marks, so not any type of hoofed animal.

As she looked at the tracks, Sherrin had the odd sensation that someone was watching her. Standing up, she noticed Maverick was sitting up on the railing, looking at the woods behind her. The driveway, or more accurately, gravel road, was bordered by a field on one side and by woods on the other side. The woods went up behind her house, to the far side, following along the field before ending at Bray Road. The house itself was surrounded on three sides by the woods.

Sherrin quickly picked up her keys and unlocked the car. She turned and looked at the woods, but there was nothing to see. She got in, feeling a little unnerved. She saw Maverick settle back down on the railing. Whatever it had been was gone. Feeling a little uneasy about leaving Maverick outside, Sherrin started the car and drove down the road, heading for Milwaukee.

She drove down Plank, past the gas station and Marty's Market and Diner, turned on state road 11, then onto interstate 43. The drive was boring, so Sherrin listened to the radio. Once she reached Milwaukee, she turned up interstate 894 to 45. She got off 45 and turned back to Bluemound. The Professor lived on N93rd Street. When Sherrin realized how close to the zoo she was, she new where she would go after talking to the Professor. She had a sketch book and pencils stashed in the car for just such events.

Finally finding his house she parked the car and got out, looking around the neighborhood. The house was small, the lawn well kept. She walked up to the door and knocked.

The door was opened by an older man, well groomed grey hair, glasses and wearing of all things, a tweed jacket with elbow patches.

"Hello," Sherrin said. "My name is Sherrin Westin. You e-mailed me and asked me to come."

"Ah yes," the man smiled. "Please, come in. I've been looking forward to hearing about your dreams." He showed Sherrin into the living room and offered her a seat. The living room was set up as an office. A desk, book shelves, and two comfortable arm chairs.

"Can I get you something to eat or drink?" he asked politely.

"No, thank you." Sherrin sat in one of the chairs.

"Before we start, I'd like to tell you a little about why I do this."

Sherrin nodded.

"I used to work at the Mental Health Center. I worked with patients who had peculiar dreams. It was after one patient died that I discovered what this patient's dreams were really about. So I started studying dreams and what they mean. For most of us, they are just our mind's way of sorting through the information the brain had gathered while we were awake. But sometimes they mean more. In the last 20 years, I have helped countless people figure out their dreams through hypnosis. I have some unconventional theories about dreams that don't seem to fit the usual patterns. Yours sound very intriguing, so please, tell me about them."

Sherrin was impressed with what Professor Wilshire said. "They started a little over a year ago, right after I had gotten back from a visit to Chicago."

"And you mentioned they revolve around the same two people?"

Sherrin nodded. "A woman with long dark hair and a man with long white hair. And sometimes a girl."

"Can you recall any details?"

Sherrin frowned. "Not much. Just interactions between the two."

Professor Wilshire suspected this was a case of memory dreaming. "Would you be willing to try remembering last night's dream?"

Sherrin hesitated for a moment. "What do I need to do?"

"Just relax." Professor Wilshire talked her through a relaxing technique that allowed her mind to enter a trance like state, where she could focus on just the one dream. Sherrin sat back, eyes closed, breathing slowly and deeply. Her body soon relaxed and her mind emptied of cluttered thoughts. He talked her back to the moment she started dreaming.

"Now describe what is happening."

"I am being chased by wolves." There was some fear in her voice. "They are growling and snapping. He is there." Her voice sounded young, like a child's. It held a hint of joy and relief.

"He who?"

"Sesshoumaru-sama. He is fighting off the wolves. He's killed a few, the rest run away."

"What is he fighting them with?"

"A sword."

"How do you feel about Sesshoumaru-sama?" He had a little difficulty saying the name.

"Happy and safe. I know he will always protect me."

"Does he say anything?"

"No. Just walks away. I follow."

"Okay Sherrin, you will wake up and remember everything you told me."

Sherrin opened her eyes and blinked them a few times. "That was weird."

"I can only make a guess based on this one dream, but I think you are experiencing memories."

"Memories? Of what and who?" Sherrin hadn't expected that.

"A past life." He looked thoughtful for a moment then said, "You actually sounded like a young child when you described what happened. Your visit to Chicago seemed to have awakened the memories."

"You mean as in reincarnation?"

Professor Wilshire nodded.

Sherrin wasn't sure she believed in reincarnation, but like with most phenomenon, she kept an open mind. She stood up. "Thank you Professor. I don't know how this helps."

"I know it sounds a little far fetched, but I believe that memories of past lives sometimes are triggered by an experience and manifest in dreams. Please, if you can, try to remember more and let me know. Try remembering what you saw in Chicago. It may give you an idea of when these memories are from."

Sherrin shook the Professor's hand. "I will. Thank you."

He walked her to the door and thanked her for coming out to see him.

Sherrin got in her car and drove in the direction of the zoo. It was a short easy drive from here. She parked in the parking lot and paid to get in. It was late afternoon already and she didn't want to spend a lot of time at the zoo. She still needed to find a hotel to spend the night. She would leave for home early in the morning.

Getting her sketch book and pencils, she made her way to the big cat house. She wanted to do some quick sketches of lions and tigers. Cats of any size were easy to draw. She could look at Maverick and draw a tiger. Their builds are all pretty much the same, except in size. The Cheetah being the exception. Only a feline expert could tell you the difference between a tiger skeleton and a lion skeleton.

She sketched for about an hour, then decided to leave. She was getting hungry. She made a stop at a Motel6 and checked in, then went out to eat. She thought about what Professor Wilshire had said. She thought about her trip to Chicago. She went to the museum, but nothing jumped out in her memory. She had seen swords, but she didn't think that's what triggered the dreams. She'd seen swords in pictures and movies before that.

After eating, she wandered around, looking into store windows, to see if anything triggered a memory. Nothing. Finally she went back to the motel and went to bed. She wanted to get an early start.

This time in her dream she was an adult, or close to it. She and the man, Sesshoumaru-sama, were having a snowball fight.

From O'Hare International, Sesshoumaru made his way to Interstate 294, the Tristate Tollway, heading north. The hour was early, and he was able to get out of the Chicago area before the worst of the rush hour. Interstate 294 turned into 94. Sesshoumaru continued north, crossed the state line into Wisconsin, continuing until he got to state road 50. He turned west there. He took this route to avoid going through the larger cities. He turned onto 12 for a short distance to avoid Lake Geneva, then continued on state road 120 up to Spring Prairie and turned onto State road 11.

It was mid morning and he was getting weary of driving. It had been a long flight, O'Hare had been a nightmare of activity, even at that early hour, and the drive was tiring. He started looking for a motel. Checking the gas gauge, he decided he needed a gas station first. He finally saw a gas station just off the state road. He turned in and pulled up to the pump. He was going to go in the market and ask about a motel. As he filled up the gas tank, he noticed the young woman at the next pump. "Excuse me," he said quietly.

The woman turned to face him. "Yes?" She had long dark brown hair, dark brown eyes and appeared to be in her late 20's.

Sesshoumaru felt it like a blow to the chest. She was Rin. He had found her, finally. He hadn't even been looking and here she was.

"Is there a motel near here?" He managed to keep control of himself. His heart was racing.

"Yes, just down the road, on the corner of Cobb and 11. It's a small motel but nice and neat." She pointed in the direction he had been heading.

"Thank you." He gave a brief smile.

The woman smiled in return. "You're welcome."

Sesshoumaru paid for the gas and got back in the car. He took a deep breath to calm himself; then drove where she had indicated and found the motel. He checked in and went straight to his room. Finding Rin changed everything. He now he had his own heart to deal with. He couldn't, wouldn't, go home without her. But how to deal with this new situation? This was the 21st century after all and humans didn't believe in the supernatural any more. More so in America than anywhere else. His job was just made more difficult. He not only had to determine who or what the supposed werewolf was, he needed to find out more about the young woman. Lying down on the bed, he thought about the woman and how to approach her. 'My Little Rin, I finally found you' was his last thought before falling asleep.

Notes:

The gas station, market, diner and motel are fictional.

I did a little research into dreams. More about why we dream than anything else. It is generally considered that people's dreams are just sorting out the day's events and emotions. Any other dream info is my own opinion.

I have a part Bobcat mix cat. He is between 20 and 25 pounds and he's a bit on the thin side.


	4. Chapter 4 Dreams Come to Life

Thanks to those who reviewed. I hope they like the story so far.

**Chapter 3 Dreams Come to Life**

Sherrin didn't think anything about the man who had asked about the motel. She just wanted to get home and see Maverick. She paid for her gas and drove home.

As she drove, she remembered something about Chicago. She had gone by the Donald E. Stephens convention center and had seen people dressed in elaborate and weird costumes. Having no idea what it was, she asked and was told it was an anime and Japanese cultural convention. Anime, it was explained to her, is the Japanese version of American cartoons. Her art studies at the University never covered Japanese forms of art. Curious, she had decided to investigate. It cost her $40 to go in. She wandered around, looking at all the costumes. The place was a beehive of activity. At one point she had seen two characters with fake swords play fighting. Lots of people were taking pictures. One character was dressed in black and red and had long black hair; the other was dressed mostly in white and had long white hair. From what she heard others saying, they were the "quarreling adversaries from Inu Youkai, or Demon Dog". She had picked up a few pamphlets and information.

Thinking about those pamphlets, she hoped she still had them. She knew what she would be doing when she got home.

Arriving home, she opened the door and looked down as she got out, seeing the tracks again. She had completely forgotten them. Getting the sketch book, she made a quick sketch of the track. It wasn't an animal track she knew. It was almost human looking, except for the long toes and claw marks. Four toes were at the top, the fifth was off to the side.

Taking the sketch, she went into the house. Maverick greeted her loudly, demanding attention.

"Sorry Mave," she said, petting the cat. "I have things to do." She headed for the den. Most likely, she would have put "mementos" in there. Looking through a stack of papers on one shelf of the book case, she found what she was looking for at the bottom. 'Time to clean this out' she thought. She went through the papers more closely, throwing some out she didn't need. The convention pamphlets she took out to the living room with her. She sat at her desk and read through the pamphlets. They contained a schedule for programs, guest appearances, gaming times, and something called panels. One of the guests was from a show called "Inu Youkai". Sherrin opened her laptop and got on the internet. She typed in 'anime' and searched, getting thousands of sites about anime. Nothing specific though. She needed to narrow the search somewhat. She typed in Youkai, getting lots of different sites. One gave the definition of youkai: spirit or demon, or supernatural beings. She finally found one that mentioned a Japanese feudal fairy tale called Inu Youkai. Typing in "Inu Youkai" she came up with hundreds of sites. She realized this was going to take some time.

Sesshoumaru slept for almost two hours. He woke, completely refreshed. The first thing he needed to do was scout around. As much as he wanted to see the young woman again, he had a job to do. He did a google map search, satellite format, to check out the terrain. He would need to check all the unpopulated wooded areas. Anyplace where an animal might take up residence.

Not wanting to be conspicuous, Sesshoumaru dressed in darker clothes rather than his customary white. A dark grey long sleeve shirt, black jeans and black hiking boots.

Leaving the motel, Sesshoumaru drove down state road 11 to Plank. Turning onto Plank he headed south to Bray Road. Passing a dirt road, Sesshoumaru knew instantly that the young woman lived up that road. The bond between Sesshoumaru and Rin had very strong and deep. In fairly close proximity, the bond was starting to re-establish itself. Sesshoumaru was beginning to "feel" the young woman. Looking up the road, he was tempted to go that way. Shaking his head, he continued on to the end of Plank.

Across Bray Road from Plank was a small wooded park like area. It was used for hiking and dirt bikes. He pulled into the dirt parking area and parked the car. Locking it after getting out, he studied the surrounding area. On either side was a farm. The wooded area wasn't very large and had trails wandering through it. The area closest to the road was used by the dirt bikes. It had dirt hills and trails that went almost in a figure eight.

Sesshoumaru followed the trails though the wooded area, at the edge, he caught the scent of youkai. The youkai had been here. Following the scent, Sesshoumaru went east, crossing some fields. Some of the fields were nothing more than tall grass, others were farm fields, freshly plowed or a crop already planted. Sesshoumaru was careful where he walked; he didn't want to ruin a crop. He came to another wooded area. Here he caught the very faint scent of something else, but it was old and he wasn't able to identify it.

He continued following the trail, across more fields and small wooded areas. He crossed Sitler Road, continued across more fields and small wooded areas. The trail turned slightly north and ended in a larger section of woods. Here the scent was very strong, but not fresh. The youkai had spent a lot of time here, but not recently. He went through the wooded area, finding signs that the youkai had claimed this as its territory. At least Sesshoumaru now knew for certain it was a youkai. He went back the way he had come.

Following the trail had taken a few hours, as he had taken his time investigating possible clues. The walk back didn't take as long. Still, it was late when he got back to the car. There were a couple of bikers riding the trails when he got back, but they ignored him.

As Sherrin was looking at yet another site, she was startled to briefly feel a comforting presence. She looked around but saw nothing. She even glanced out the window, but there was nothing. 'That's odd,' she thought to herself. It reminded her of how she felt when she was talking about her dream to Professor Wilshire. Deciding to ignore it, she started to go back to her search.

The phone interrupted Sherrin's search a few hours later. The caller id said it was Heather. "Hey Heather, what's up?" Heather had been Sherrin's best friend since collage. Heather was a bit of a "mother hen" and worried about Sherrin.

Heather wanted to know if Sherrin would like to meet her at Marty's Diner.

Sherrin was getting hungry and Marty's Diner made good food. "Okay. Half an hour sound okay? Great. See you then." Sherrin hung up and went back to her computer. She book marked the site and turned her computer off. She got herself ready and made sure Maverick had food and fresh water. "Okay Maverick, I'm going to Marty's. I'll make sure to bring you back a hamburger," she told the cat. Maverick enjoyed the occasional burger from Marty's.

Sherrin drove to Marty's and met Heather in the parking lot. Heather, average height for a woman, was a little shorter than Sherrin. She was the classic Irish female: red hair, green eyes and a temper. She was actually very kind hearted and helpful to others, hence the "mother hen" reputation.

"Hi Sherrin. Haven't seen you in a while. What have you been up to?"

"I just finished a painting in Madison," Sherrin explained as they walked into the diner.

"Meet any nice guys there?" Heather asked, grinning.

"Heather!" Sherrin shook her head at her friend. "All I did was paint a wall. I didn't go anywhere." Heather was always trying to find a boyfriend for Sherrin. In collage, Heather had disapproved of Sherrin's boyfriend. When the relationship ended badly, Heather had been very supportive. Since then, she intended to play match maker for Sherrin.

They sat in a booth by the windows, away from the door. The diner was fairly empty, but then it was a Thursday night.

"Hi girls, what can I get ya?" The waitress, Julie knew them, as they were regular customers.

"Our usual," Heather said.

"A hamburger for Maverick too?" Julie asked.

"Yes please. Maverick loves them." Sherrin smiled.

"Okay. Be back shortly with your order." Julie went back to the kitchen.

"Okay Heather, why are we here?" Sherrin knew Heather wanted to talk about something. She hoped it wasn't about some guy.

"Does it have to be about something? Can't we just have a night out?" Heather was trying to look innocent.

"Come on, spit it out."

"Well, I'm kind of worried about you out here by yourself." She leaned forward. "You've heard about that creature."

"It's probably all a hoax," Sherrin said. "I really don't think there's such a creature." Until she remembered the tracks.

Julie came with their food. "Here you go. I'll have Maverick's hamburger ready to go when you leave."

"Thanks," Sherrin said. She and Heather started eating. The large plates were full of food; large grilled hamburgers and lots of fries.

They talked a bit about the creature as they ate. Until Heather said softly, "Nice." Sherrin looked up. Heather was looking at a man who had just come in. He had long white hair tied back in a loose pony tail, strikingly handsome features, looked athletic and had a confident air about him. He was, she realized, the man from the gas station. He was also the man from her dreams. Sherrin's mind was suddenly full of jumbled thoughts and visions.

"I'll bet he's either gay or taken," Heather whispered, unaware of the effect the man had on Sherrin.

Heather's comment helped Sherrin to focus on her meal. She noticed Heather watched as the man sat down at a table next to the door. She seemed interested in the man. "You're married."

"Not for me silly. You." Heather knew exactly what Sherrin had meant.

"You like him?" Sherrin was surprised.

"There's something about him. I'm not sure what, but I'm getting good vibes."

Sherrin was used to Heather's odd statements and learned to trust them. Heather had gotten "bad vibes" from Sherrin's boyfriend in collage. But Sherrin knew there was more to this man than just "good vibes".

They talked about a variety of things until they were done eating. Heather paid for the meal, including Maverick's hamburger.

As they headed for the door, Heather asked, "What are you doing tonight, Sherrin?"

The man looked up as Sherrin said "Staying home." Their eyes locked for a few brief moments. Recognition dawned on Sherrin. "You _are _Sesshoumaru," she said in a barely audible whisper. She was rewarded with a gentle smile.

"Sherrin, come on!" Heather called from outside.

Sherrin wanted to say something but she didn't know what.

"Go," he commanded in a deep baritone voice.

Sherrin hesitated, then hurried out the door.

Sesshoumaru leaned back in his seat, pleased. The evening had taken an unexpected turn for better. He now knew her name; Sherrin. She had recognized him, knew who he was. And hadn't been afraid. He was glad now that he stopped. He hadn't planned on it. As he drove by, the smell of grilled meat made him hungry. He wasn't fond of human food, but as long as it was fresh food, not boxed or frozen, he could eat it. Grilled meat was the best. So he had decided to stop. He was pleasantly surprised to find the car next to his belonged to the young woman.

When he entered, he heard the other woman's comment, but ignored it. He sat at a table, ordered and listened to their conversation. Not intentionally, his hearing was simply better than the average human's.

He paid for his meal, and went outside. He inhaled deeply, picking up Sherrin's scent. Getting in the car, he went back down Plank and pulled into the gravel road leading up to Sherrin's house. He would scout around here tonight. He parked the car on the side by the field and locked it. He entered the woods and followed it around Sherrin's property. He detected the youkai's scent here, which did not sit well with him at all. Tracking the scent, Sesshoumaru went into the woods that bordered the field all the way down to Bray Road.

"Hey Wade, come on man. It's too dark to see anymore." Ramsey and Wade, high school buddies, were dirt biking in the little off road area on Bray Road. They had been here for over an hour, racing each other and doing stunts.

Ramsey, uncomfortable with the darkness, was ready to leave.

"One more jump," Wade called. He revved the engine and took off, going up the biggest of the dirt hills. As his bike took to the air, something stood up just below the crest of the hill and made a swipe at his bike. Wade yelled as his bike barely missed whatever it was. The bike landed at the bottom of the hill, fell over and went sliding. Wade got up slowly when the bike stopped and looked up at the hill. Something growled.

"Shit, you hear that Ramsey?"

"Yeah, let's go!" Ramsey was already on his bike.

"Right behind ya buddy!" Wade grabbed his bike and hopped on. The "Something" came down off the hill after them. Wade gunned his engine and the bike took off, throwing up a cloud of dirt.

The boys took off, not looking back.

The creature came out to the road and stopped. It sniffed the air. Suddenly it turned and looked over at the woods across the road. Not liking what it smelled, the creature loped off on all fours, moving faster than any known animal except maybe a cheetah.

Sesshoumaru came out of the woods at Bray road. The youkai had been here, he just missed it. Crossing the road, he found the youkai's scent. The youkai had come out to the road, then had taken off. He debated following, but the youkai had a good head start. Sesshoumaru didn't want the youkai to circle around and come back to Sherrin's place. The youkai had been at Sherrin's before and might go back. Sherrin lived alone and would make a good target. Sesshoumaru wouldn't allow anything to happen to her. He went back across the road, through the woods back to Sherrin's place. He would stay here tonight, keeping watch.

Notes:

The area is pretty much as I described it. I added the dirt bike and hiking area, mostly because the little wooded area looks like that's what it is used for and because Sessh needed a place to park the car out of the way while he scouted around.

Sherrin needed something to awaken the memories. I had debated using the anime InuYasha in the story, but that would be too hard to explain. So I invented one.


	5. Chapter 5 Angry Youkai

Thanks to those who reviewed and like this story.

**Chapter 4 Angry Youkai**

Sherrin was only too happy to get home. Her mind was still in a jumble from the diner. Her dreams had become reality. At least the man in them had. But who was he? More precisely, what was he? She got the distinct feeling he wasn't an average human. He was something more.

She went into the house, greeted Maverick and gave him his hamburger. Maverick took it outside to eat in private.

While Maverick enjoyed his snack, Sherrin went back to her search. She searched several websites, book marking the ones that looked promising. One website in particular looked promising: it had lots of information about the show she was interested in and a section of pictures. But it was late and Sherrin was getting tired so she book marked the site and closed her laptop. She got up to see if Maverick was coming in. As she did so, feeling of the comforting presence suddenly hit her. She went out the kitchen door onto the large patio. The floodlights came on, illuminating a picnic table, a bench and a Weber charcoal grill. Added to the comforting presence was the feeling of being protected. Maverick, having finished his snack, was sitting at the edge of the patio, looking at something in the woods. He was curious, not afraid.

"You're out here, aren't you?" Sherrin looked, but couldn't see anything in the dark beyond the lights.

Sherrin watched Maverick investigate the darkness. She could barely make him out and saw movement, a vague human shape, petting Maverick. 'So Maverick approves too,' Sherrin thought, smiling. The smile turned to a yawn.

"Go to bed. We'll talk tomorrow."

The deep voice was soothing. Sherrin yawned again. "Come on Maverick, let's go to bed." Sherrin went back inside. She changed into her night shirt and got ready for bed. Crawling under the covers, Sherrin was asleep in a few minutes. Her dreams were of Sesshoumaru.

Loping through the fields, the creature looked for something else to amuse himself with. He had been unhappy with the arrival of other male. That male was a hunter. They would have to meet and fight eventually, but not yet. Right now he was only interested in amusing himself. Humans were fun to play with. They frightened easily. He enjoyed causing fear among humans. At first, he had been angry and wanted only to kill them. The humans had hunted his family and driven them out of their homeland, where they were known as Leshii. During their flight from Russia to the country to the north, the rest of his family had been killed by so called "witch hunters". He had escaped, vowing to get even. But he had found that frightening them was much more fun. He had killed a few humans, mostly to protect himself but partly from anger.

Wanting to get far enough away from the other male, he left Bray road and headed southeast, crossing Loveland, Sitler and Bowers. The evening was late and there wasn't much traffic, much to his disappointment. Eventually he ended up at Hospital road, looking for a lone traveler to frighten. He stopped at a section of road that was bordered on both sides by woods. He saw lights heading his way. Hunkering down in the ditch next to the road, he waited.

Ralph and Martha were heading home after spending the day visiting their grandchildren in Burlington. It was late and they were both tired. They were discussing the visit when Martha suddenly asked "What's that?" pointing to Ralph's side of the road.

Ralph looked where she had indicated. Something was standing there, man sized, and hairy. Ralph slowed the car to get a better look.

The something suddenly jumped onto the road and dashed across, stopping on the other side. It turned and looked at the car, well lit by the headlights. It was tall, at least six feet, glowing red eyes, a canine type muzzle, pointed ears, and was covered in shaggy black hair or fur. The shoulders were broad and looked powerful. The hands ended in clawed fingers.

Martha screamed. "Go, Ralph! Go! Get us out of here!"

Ralph hit the gas and the car shot forward. Ralph didn't let up on the gas until they got home.

Martha was terrified. "What was that thing?" She kept looking back, expecting to see the creature running after them. "Ralph, I think we should call the police."

Unsatisfied by the result of his prank, the youkai wandered further south, into a large forest. He came upon a small house, up a dirt road.

Manning was in the house, gathering Moose's rescue gear when the dog started barking. Moose rarely barked, so Manning went out to see what the matter was. As he stepped outside the door, Moose bounded up, grabbed his arm and tried to get him back in the house.

"What's the matter Moose?" Moose's behavior surprised Manning. Moose had never acted this way before; he was a mellow gentle giant of a dog, trained for water and search and rescue. Nor was he afraid of anything; he had once attacked a black bear that insisted on getting in the way of a search and rescue operation.

Something growled in the dark and moved toward the house. Moose barked ferociously at whatever it was. A large shape loomed out of the darkness. Moose charged. The creature swung its arm, knocking the 160 pound Newfoundland into the bushes by the house. Manning had no time to react before the creature was upon him.

Moose, dazed and bleeding from several long scratches in his right shoulder, crawled under the house. He kept quiet as the creature came sniffing at the hole. After a few minutes the creature left.

Satisfied with his work, the youkai ignored the injured dog and headed further south, circled around and headed north.

Moose rested for a couple of hours before crawling out from under the house. Limping, he sniffed around where his human partner had been attacked. There wasn't much left. Picking up the creature's scent, limping slowly, Moose followed the trail.

The thump of Maverick jumping on her bed woke Sherrin. The big cat walked on Sherrin's back. "Okay, okay, I'm awake. Now get off so I can get up." She rolled over, dumping the cat on the floor. He protested loudly.

Sherrin got up and stretched. She took a quick shower, dressed in t-shirt, jeans and hiking shoes, dried her hair and put it in a pony tail.

Going into the kitchen, she made French toast for breakfast. Maverick demanded his breakfast of a quarter can of Newman's cat food. Sitting her French toast down at the breakfast bar, she turned on the radio which was in the middle of a news report.

"…found early this morning by his search and rescue partner. His search dog hasn't been found. Authorities believe it as an animal attack."

Sherrin thought about the tracks and wondered if the so called "werewolf" was responsible. If not for the tracks she saw, she wouldn't have believed such a thing was possible. While she was open minded about things science couldn't explain, she didn't think the movie versions of vampires and werewolves were realistic.

'Speaking of unexplained,' she thought as she ate, 'I need to find out more about that show, "Inu Youkai" and see if that character fits my mysterious guardian.'

After cleaning up her dishes, she went to her computer desk and turned on the laptop. She went straight to the website she had book marked the night before. First she read what the show was about. 'Demon dog, a story of acceptance between two worlds. A dog demon and a group of determined humans come together to battle a powerful evil demon bent on destroying Japan.'

The demon dog was described as being very powerful; in his human form he was handsome, had long white hair, golden eyes, claws on his fingers, and always wore white and carried a sword. His dog form was quite large but he rarely used it. He started out not caring about humans, a loner and constantly testing his strength. When the evil youkai showed up, he was a match for the dog demon and their battles ended in draws. A small group of humans hunted the evil demon after he destroyed their village. A brother and sister and their three friends.

Sherrin found a site that had translated manga chapters she could read. The story was well written and soon she found herself transported to another place and time.

The demon dog, Takeshi, encountered the group of humans on his search for the evil demon. At first neither accepted the other, even though they had the same goal. But after a few more encounters, Takeshi respected the abilities and determination of the humans and the humans realized while Takeshi wasn't exactly friendly, he wasn't evil. They worked together, discovering they made a good team. During their quest to stop the evil demon, Takeshi learned to care and by the end of the manga, he had learned to love.

"That's not fair," Sherrin muttered to herself as she read the last chapter. The chapter ended with the sister admitting to her brother she loved Takeshi, but had not confessed her feelings to Takeshi.

Sherrin went to the website that had the screenshots from the show. The manga had pictures of course, but they were black and white and anime art tended be a little different from manga art. In the picture she looked at, she thought that Sesshoumaru would make a good choice for playing a live action version of Takeshi.

Sherrin really wanted to talk to Sesshoumaru. Why was he here? What did she mean to him? In her dreams, the woman and Sesshoumaru were close, possibly a couple but she wasn't sure. If she were the reincarnation of the woman, as the Professor claimed, how old was Sesshoumaru? Sherrin had judged him to be between 35 and 40. Was he human, or something else? She was hoping he would show up so they could talk, as he had said. Then it hit her: how had he known where she lived? Had he followed her? From any one else, that would be creepy. But he was protecting her. Why?

Her jumbled thoughts and emotions were interrupted by the phone.

Sesshoumaru didn't require as much sleep as humans, so when he left Sherrin's house early in the morning, he went back to the motel only to change. He put on a clean dark blue long sleeve shirt, black jeans and the black hiking shoes.

He got in the car and went back to the last place he had scented the youkai, the little park at the end of Plank. The scent went southeast across some fields. Getting back in the car, Sesshoumaru followed the roads southeast.

He turned on the radio to see if anything had been reported.

"…og, Moose, is still missing. The authorities have determined this is an animal attack." The report went on to describe the search area the police were looking for the dog and the supposed animal and please "stay out of the search area; you will only get in the way."

Sesshoumaru found an area to park the car away from the search area but most likely within the direction the youkai went. He scouted around in the wooded area until he picked up the youkai's scent as well as a dog. He followed the trail as it turned north into a heavily wooded area. The dog was injured and following the youkai's scent. Sesshoumaru surmised that Moose was going after the youkai.

Sesshoumaru's pace was faster than that of the dog's and he soon caught up with him.

Moose was resting under some bushes. He was exhausted and his shoulder was bleeding. He smelled the new creature. It was similar to the other. As it got closer, Moose was able to determine that this one was an alpha male, on the hunt. He was able to determine that, unlike the other, this one was friend, not foe. He crawled out from under the bushes and slowly wagged his tail, standing submissively.

Sesshoumaru saw the dog crawl out from under some bushes and approached slowly, walking around the dog before allowing the dog to sniff him. He was surprised that the dog had made it this far. Crouching down, he took a closer look at the scratches. There were four, deep and bleeding.

Standing up, Sesshoumaru thought about what to do. He didn't really want to take the dog with him, but neither did he want to leave him here. Deciding what to do, Sesshoumaru headed back to the car. "Moose, come." The dog obediently followed.

As Sesshoumaru and Moose came out of the woods, a car came up the road, driving slowly. The car stopped next to them and two excited people got out.

"Moose!" The woman ran to Moose and hugged him. "Oh, you poor thing. What on earth did you tangle with?"

"I'm glad you found him." The man shook Sesshoumaru's hand. "I'm Rob, that's my wife Shirley. We were looking for him." He shook his head in disgust. "The police quit their search after only two hours 'He'll either show up or he's dead.' That's what they told us."

Sesshoumaru explained he had stopped to stretch his legs and went hiking in the woods and had found the dog there.

"Thank you so much for finding him." Shirley came over and also shook Sesshoumaru's hand. She explained they had found Manning, Moose's human partner earlier that morning when they went to pick him up for a trial run.

The couple tried to coax Moose into their car. Moose refused to move. When Sesshoumaru went to his car, Moose followed.

This was unexpected. Sesshoumaru hadn't considered that the dog might want to stay with him.

No amount of coaxing, pushing, pleading or commanding could get Moose to leave Sesshoumaru.

"I think you have been adopted," Rob said, shaking his head. "Here," he pulled out a card and handed it to Sesshoumaru, "this is Moose's vet." He patted Moose's head. "Okay buddy, if this is what you want."

Sesshoumaru opened the door and Moose climbed in. He turned to the couple. "Trained in search and rescue?"

"Yes. And water rescue."

Sesshoumaru got in the car. "Looks like I'm going to be learning something new." Sesshoumaru drove off, heading first to the vet, then Sherrin's.

Sherrin answered the phone. "Hi Heather."

"So did he come visit you?"

"Heather! No, he did not." 'Not technically', she thought. "I don't even know his name."

"Well I do."

"What! How?"

"Mark's friend, Anthony, who works at the Chicago ship yards. I described the guy to Mark and Mark asked Anthony. The guy owns a shipping company in Japan. His name is Takashi."

Sherrin heard the grin in heather's voice. "Heather, you're hopeless."

"I know," Heather laughed. "There's not much info on him though."

"If he's from Japan, what's he doing here?"

"Vacation maybe? Oh by the way, want to come over tomorrow? I was thinking we could go shopping at the mall and watch a movie."

"And talk about Mr. Takashi?" Sherrin grinned. She knew Heather well.

"Well, now that you mention it, sure. You'll tell if he does show up right?"

"Yes," Sherrin sighed. "Okay, I'll see you tomorrow." Sherrin hung up, shaking her head. Heather was determined to find Sherrin a boy friend. She sat back down at her desk, but she felt the comforting presence again. Looking out the window, she saw a car pull into her driveway. He had come.

Sherrin was suddenly nervous. She had so many questions she wanted to ask, things she wanted, needed, to know. But she didn't want to sound like an idiot either. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she opened the door to invite him in.

Sesshoumaru got out of the car and saw Sherrin come out. He opened the other door and let Moose out. Moose saw Sherrin and limped over to her, his tail wagging. Sesshoumaru followed slowly.

Sherrin forgot everything when she saw the dog. She let the dog sniff her hand. "You poor guy. Looks like you had a rough time." She stroked his broad head. "Is this the missing dog I heard about on the news?"

Sesshoumaru nodded. "He's not missing anymore. His name is Moose and he's decided I'm his new owner."

"The news said it was an animal attack that killed his owner." She continued to pet the dog . " You poor guy, you were very brave fighting that thing." She looked at Sesshoumaru "It wasn't an animal was it?"

A little surprised, Sesshoumaru asked, "What makes you think it wasn't an animal?"

"Let me show you." Sherrin took him over to the edge of the driveway. The tracks were still there.

Moose sniffed the tracks, his hackles up, growling.

Sesshoumaru crouched down and studied the tracks. They were only a couple of days old.

Sherrin looked at Sesshoumaru as he stood up. "You know what's going on don't you?"

Sesshoumaru nodded.

All of Sherrin's questions came flooding back into her mind.

To forestall her questions, Sesshoumaru held up a hand. "I'm here to stop the creature." He turned to go to the house. "Does Maverick mind dogs?"

Sherrin saw Maverick sitting on the railing, looking at the big dog. Moose went over to the railing and sniffed at the cat. Maverick reached down and put a paw on Moose's nose. "My house, I'm boss," he seemed to say to the dog. Moose sat and wagged his tail in agreement.

As they walked back to the house, Sesshoumaru studied Sherrin. She was taller than Rin; her hair was dark brown rather than black, long and held in a pony tail. Rin had often tied her hair back as well. Sherrin had the same expressive brown eyes. She had the same habit of frowning slightly and looking down when she was thinking hard about something. As she was now.

Sherrin was trying to sort out her questions as she walked. She had so many to ask. The whole situation had a surrealistic feel to it. The oddest part of all was that she felt comfortable with Sesshoumaru. It felt like he was meant to be there. At the house, she opened the door and invited Sesshoumaru in. Moose followed him.

"Do you want anything to drink or eat?" she asked.

"Water."

Sherrin went and made herself some tea and a glass of water for Sesshoumaru. While she was busy, Sesshoumaru looked around the living room. It had a very cozy feeling to it. He went to the book case and looked over the titles of the books.

The kitchen was open to the living room and Sherrin had watched him looking around. She wondered what he thought of her. When her tea was done, she took the drinks into the living room. "Shall we talk inside or out?"

Sesshoumaru looked over the cozy room, then out the window. It was bright and sunny, with occasional clouds. Sesshoumaru sat in one of the over sized chairs. "Here is fine."

Sherrin nodded and sat in the other chair. She took a sip of her tea. "Okay. First, what do I call you? Takashi or Sesshoumaru?"

Notes:

Leshii is a Russian forest spirit who can take the shape of animals and trick travelers into getting lost.

I hadn't planned on Moose becoming part of the story, he just decided to stay.


	6. Chapter 6 When Different Worlds Meet

I hope you all like this chapter. Took me a while to write it.

Chapter 5 When Different Worlds Meet

Sesshoumaru smiled. It wasn't what he expected, but she did need to know his name.

"Whichever you prefer. Takashi is the name I've been using. I haven't used Sesshoumaru in a long time. How did you find out about my real name?"

Sherrin told him about the dreams she had for over a year and going to the hypnotist to try and figure them out.

"Did it work?" Sesshoumaru knew the dreams were memories and wanted to know how Sherrin felt about it.

"Sort of. I was able to describe the one dream and when the Professor questioned me about the man in the dream, I, or the little girl, said he was Sesshoumaru-sama." She looked at him. "Who is the little girl?"

"Her name was Rin." Sesshoumaru paused, remembering. "She helped me after I was injured in a fight and later I rescued her from wolves. From that point on she followed me."

From the sound of his voice, Rin meant a whole lot to him. She knew there was more to it than that and eventually she would find out, but she needed to know other things as well.

"Okay, you said you are here to stop the creature. I take that to mean you know about it and there's more to this creature than anyone realizes. Am I right?"

"Yes." Sesshoumaru watched her as she organized her thoughts and questions. He leaned back in the chair, studying her.

"Okay, this is what I know. There is a creature scaring people, I've been having dreams about you that are memories and you are here to stop the creature."

Sesshoumaru gave her a nod to confirm and continue.

"I've always been interested in the strange, unusual, supernatural, the unexplained. I believe I have an open mind about such things. So tell me the truth about all of this. What is the creature?"

"Do you know what a youkai is?" Sesshoumaru watched her carefully. How she responded to his explanation was important to him.

"A spirit, demon or supernatural being. Is that what this creature is?"

"I believe something like that, yes."

"But such things are supposed to be myths and legends, not real."

Sesshoumaru smiled slightly. "Most myths and legends have some basis in truth."

"If they are real, why don't people know about them?"

"How are people reacting to the situation here?"

"Oh. I see your point." She considered her next question carefully. What she was learning today would drastically change her view of the world, her very life. "You're a youkai, aren't you?"

"Yes." Sesshoumaru didn't sense any fear, just a need to know.

"I thought there was more to you than what you appear. So you keep your true identity secret." Sherrin realized that if humans found out about him, he'd either be hunted and killed or captured and studied. Neither was an acceptable option for him. He was meant to live free and had the right to live his life like everyone else. "But you're not the same as this other youkai. Why is that one menacing people if you don't want people to know about you?"

Sesshoumaru was relieved with Sherrin's answer. She seemed to be accepting him regardless of what he was. "There are a little over a thousand of what I call youkai, world wide. That I am aware of. Most of us just want to be left alone and live in peace. There are a few who are what you would call potential trouble makers. It's my job to keep them from doing anything to humans."

"Your job?" Sherrin frowned. "You mean you're like the police?"

"Sort of."

"Why are you the one who keeps the peace?" Sherrin was beginning to find this a little more complicated than she had first thought.

"About 450 years ago…"

"Whoa, wait a minute! 450 years?! How old _are_ you?" That was unexpected.

Sesshoumaru smiled at her reaction. "I'm a little over 900, between 37 and 39 in human years."

Moose chose that moment to wake from his nap. He had been sleeping next to Sesshoumaru's chair. He got up, shook and walked to the door. He stood there, looking at Sesshoumaru.

Sesshoumaru got up and went to the door and let Moose out. Moose went down into the woods. Sesshoumaru, followed by Sherrin, stood on the porch and waited for the dog. Lazy clouds drifted across the late afternoon sky.

"He really seems to have adopted you," Sherrin commented as she stood next to Sesshoumaru.

"We have the same goal."

"What are you going to do with him when you're done here?"

"I don't know. Depends on whether or not he decides to stay with me."

They watched as Moose came out of the woods and trotted back up to the porch. Moose looked at Sesshoumaru and gave a soft woof.

"Hungry Moose?" Sesshoumaru went to his car and got the bag of dog food the vet gave him. He carried the bag back to the house and followed Sherrin back inside.

"I don't suppose you got bowls to go with the food?" Sherrin asked.

Sesshoumaru shook his head as he set the bag down, Moose wagging his tail as he waited patiently.

Sherrin scrounged around for a bowl and gave it to Sesshoumaru and he put food in the bowl. Moose ate happily.

"I take it you took him to the vet?" Sherrin wanted to be sure that Moose was being taken care of properly.

"His own vet." Sesshoumaru explained about the couple, Moose's refusal to go with them and the same thing at the vet. He remembered the medicine in his pocket and pulled it out. He put a pill in Moose's food.

"I could use some food myself." Sherrin looked at Sesshoumaru. She hadn't planned on company for dinner, she was just going to have left-overs. They could go out, but then they couldn't continue their discussion. Sherrin got an idea. "Have you ever had buffalo?"

Sesshoumaru shook his head.

"Tastes a lot like beef only sweeter. Marty makes a great buffalo steak dinner and he delivers."

"Sounds good."

Sherrin called up the diner and ordered. "Okay, dinner in about twenty minutes."

As she set the breakfast bar for dinner, Sherrin went back to their interrupted conversation. "So I take it you have a rather long life span?"

"Yes, somewhere around 2000 years."

Sherrin shook her head, unable to imagine living that long. She decided she would come back to the age thing later. "Okay, back to why you are here. You can explain later how you ended up being the peace keeper. How do you plan on stopping this other youkai creature?"

Sesshoumaru was impressed with Sherrin's ability to keep track of her thoughts and prioritize them. "Depends on the youkai. I need to know what he is and why he's acting the way he is."

"So he's not one that you are aware of?"

Sesshoumaru shook his head. "I'm sure there are others we don't know about. When they get noticed, it's my job to intervene."

"Intervene how?"

The doorbell rang and Sherrin went to answer it.

"Here you go, one two person buffalo dinner. Enjoy!"

"Thank you," Sherrin said as she paid for the meal. She took the container to the breakfast bar and set it down. When she opened it, steam and the aroma of grilled meat drifted up.

"Smells good." Sherrin sat down and waited for Sesshoumaru to join her.

Sesshoumaru walked over, sniffing. It did smell good.

In the container were two large steaks, cooked rare, two large baked potatoes, complete with butter, sour cream and chives and a large helping of vegetables; broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, peas and corn.

Sherrin took a steak, potato and vegetables, Sesshoumaru the steak and potato.

"Not a veggie eater?" Sherrin asked as she watched him take his food.

"Only fresh ones. I'm kind of picky about my food."

"If I had known, I would have made a salad or something."

"It's okay. This is fine."

They ate in silence for a few minutes, enjoying the taste of the food. Sherrin found herself watching Sesshoumaru as he ate.

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow at her when he saw her watching him.

Sherrin blushed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to stare."

The corners of his mouth turned up in a slight smile.

Sherrin smiled back. "I'm just not used to having male company; a non human one at that."

"Does my not being human bother you?"

"No. I'm curious about you. It's not every day one gets to meet a youkai."

"No, I suppose not" He paused, looking at her. "It's refreshing for me to meet someone who isn't afraid."

"And not running to get the police or army after you?"

"That too." He paused as he ate another bite of buffalo. "Very good by the way." He indicated the meat. "Humans have a tendency toward an 'it's different, kill it' attitude. It's a survival instinct. You're a very rare person, to be as accepting as you are."

Sherrin looked down at her plate, embarrassed by his statement. To cover her embarrassment, she said, "Back to my original question. What are your plans?"

Quite willing to change topics, Sesshoumaru explained what he had in mind. "I need to do some research. An internet search and old newspaper stories about unusual sightings or happenings. I'll need a good library."

"Milwaukee or Madison. Milwaukee is closer and larger, but Madison is the state capitol. You might be better off trying there. What will you do when you find this youkai?"

"Stop him. He's killed at least one human; that's not allowed." He looked intently at Sherrin. "I will most likely have to kill him."

Sherrin nodded her understanding. "What about humans that are involved? How do you deal with them?"

"In most cases nothing is done. A strange sighting is reported, investigated and nothing is found. We make sure there isn't any evidence. In the rare case we have to do something, the memory is changed."

Sherrin frowned. "Changed? How?"

"There's a youkai, kind of like your hypnotist, who suggests a different scenario."

"Suggests how… oh you mean like 'The Force' in Star Wars?"

"Yes."

"What about me?"

Sesshoumaru pushed his empty plate aside. "You are a different matter." The look he gave her was intent yet gentle, caring.

"Heather!" She suddenly remembered what Heather had said.

It took Sesshoumaru a second to comprehend the sudden name. "Your friend from the diner?"

"How did you know…?" She stared at him. "Did you hear us talking?"

Sesshoumaru pulled the hair away from his ear. "I have excellent hearing." He smiled at her.

Sherrin turned beet red. "Heather has been trying to find me a boyfriend." 'Oh God this humiliating,' she thought. 'Thanks Heather.'

"Do you trust her, what did she call them, vibes?"

"Yes, I do." Sherrin felt a little foolish answering that question. "I have learned to trust her feelings."

Sesshoumaru nodded and got up, picked up his plate and took it to the sink.

Sherrin followed. Sesshoumaru moved away from the sink and Sherrin put her dishes in and turned on the hot water, rinsing the dishes off. She then went and cleaned up the little table, putting the left over vegetables in the refrigerator.

"Would you like something to drink?" Sherrin asked as Sesshoumaru made his way back into the living room to check on Moose.

"Tea or water." Sesshoumaru sat in the chair. He noted Maverick sitting on the back of the couch, closely watching the sleeping dog.

Sherrin followed a few minutes later with two cups of tea. She handed one to Sesshoumaru, took the other and sat down. "I'll be going over to Heather's tomorrow. She'll want to know you came by today. What do I tell her?"

"How does she feel about the supernatural?"

"She's as open minded as I am. About a month ago, she and her husband were camping up north and she claims to have seen a Bigfoot."

"Bigfoot?" Sesshoumaru vaguely remembered reading something about a 'Bigfoot' or Sasquatch in the Pacific Northwest. "The giant ape like creature?"

"Yeah. When I asked her to describe it she said it looked like a small upright cousin to King Kong. So she now believes Bigfoot exists."

"I'd like to meet her before I tell her anything. For now, tell her I'm here on vacation."

Sherrin sighed. "I don't really want to lie to her."

"You won't. I am, or will be, on vacation after this is over." He was looking at her thoughtfully.

Not ready to discuss that particular subject just yet, Sherrin changed the topic once again. "Bigfoot isn't a youkai is it?"

"No." He remembered the old scent. "My guess is Bigfoot is what most people believe it to be, a giant ape like creature."

Moose woke up and wanted to go out again. Sesshoumaru got up, going to the door to let him out.

"You said Moose and you have the same goal. What did you mean?" Sherrin asked from her chair as she watched Sesshoumaru stand by the door and wait.

"I think Moose feels it's his duty to stop the youkai." He turned to look at Sherrin. "I know that sounds odd. But even in his condition, he tracked the youkai for quite a distance before I found him." He waited as Moose came up the steps, then came back in the house. After closing the door, he sat back down. Moose went into the kitchen, searching for a drink. Maverick followed, keeping an eye on the canine invader.

Sherrin smiled at Maverick's behavior. "He's not used to having anyone but me or Heather in the house. He's not very social with people." She looked over at Sesshoumaru. "He's half bobcat the vet said."

"Explains his size and temperament." Sesshoumaru said as Moose came back and lay down next to him. Sesshoumaru had no problem with animals. Maverick kind of reminded him of Hirameki, Rin's two tailed youkai cat that had adopted her.

It was getting late; Sherrin decided she had enough of questions and answers and told Sesshoumaru about Madison so he had an idea what to expect with traffic and where things were. She mentioned the possibility that Heather may decide to come back with her.

"I have a feeling Heather is headstrong and speaks her mind." Sesshoumaru knew that if Heather did come, he would have to include her into the small circle of humans who knew about youkai.

"Yeah, that describes Heather pretty well," Sherrin agreed, grinning.

Sesshoumaru stood up. "It's late and I'm sure you'd like to get some sleep."

Sherrin got up as well. "Yes. My drive isn't as long as yours, but I'd like to leave early."

"Come on Moose," Sesshoumaru called to the dog. Moose got up and followed him to the door. On the porch, Sesshoumaru turned to Sherrin. "You can sleep peacefully tonight. I won't be far away."

"Aren't you going back to the motel?" Sherrin was surprised but felt relieved he was going to be around. She felt much safer with him there.

"To get a few things then I'll be back. I don't want him to come around here."

"Thank you Sesshoumaru, for caring." She smiled at him as he got in the car after Moose. She waited until he drove off before going back in the house. She closed the door and went to get ready for bed. She realized she really liked him. She looked at Maverick. "You and Heather both like him," she told the cat as she got into bed. "That says a lot about his character." She fell asleep, thinking of Sesshoumaru and how meeting him could mean major changes for her in the future.

Sesshoumaru drove to the motel and quickly got what he needed; mainly his walking stick that contained his two swords. He hadn't wanted them earlier, as he was just doing a preliminary search. He also made sure he had his cell phone in case he needed to call Hi'Iki or InuYasha for anything. And a change of clothes and he was good to go.

Moose watched from the car as Sesshoumaru gathered everything and put it in the back seat. Moose leaned over the seat and sniffed the walking stick and gave a slight shake of his head and looked at Sesshoumaru as if to say "You don't need the extra power".

Sesshoumaru got in the car and drove back to Sherrin's, where he and Moose spent the night on watch.

The youkai needed to get away from the area where he had killed the human. There was too much human activity to warrant his staying. So he had gone further north, looking for a safe place to sleep. He was tired, frustrated and angry. He had spent too much time wandering the country side scaring humans. He needed sleep. He was frustrated and angry because he was being thwarted from his goal. He had become interested in the human female that lived by herself and was thinking of taking her as a mate. But now this new male had moved into _his _territory, sniffing around _his_ female. This new male was a powerful hunter. He would have to use all his cunning to kill the other male.

He came upon the cave shortly after midnight. It was in the deepest part of a large forest, hidden by bushes. It smelled of another creature, but the scent was old. The creature was long gone. He found a comfortable spot and curled up. He fell asleep thinking about how he was going to take care of that other male.

Notes:

I figured there wouldn't be a whole lot of youkai left. So I picked a number I thought sounded good.

I am basing Sesshoumaru's age on my own idea of how youkai age. RT says he looks about 19 human years, so using that age, I created a chart that compares youkai and human ages. Took some time to get it to where I am satisfied with it. On average, youkai age every 25 years for a human's one year. Remember, there is no mention of how old Sesshoumaru really is.


	7. Chapter 7 Reality Is What You Make It

I hope you all liked the last chapter. Thanks to those who reviewed my story. As of right now, I have no idea how this story will end.

Chapter 6 Come What May

Sherrin woke up to the early morning sun peeking through her curtains. She stretched in bed, remembering a dream. It had to do with an older Rin, at least that's who Sherrin thought it was, and Sesshoumaru. They had admitted their feelings for each other.

'My life is never going to be the same,' Sherrin thought.

"Meow." Maverick jumped on her bed, demanding she get up and get him breakfast.

"Okay, okay." Sherrin got out of bed. "You realize our lives are changed forever now, don't you?" she told the cat as she got ready to take a shower.

Shower done, Sherrin dressed in a Star Trek t-shirt, white jeans and high top shoes. She dried her hair and put it in a pony tail and went into the kitchen. She made herself breakfast and decided to eat outside on the porch and see if Sesshoumaru was still around.

The porch ran almost the whole length of the house. A railing went around about three quarters of the way, open only where the stairs were. There was a small table with two blue deck chairs, a bench, and two lounge chairs. Sesshoumaru was sitting in one of the lounge chairs. Moose lay next to him.

"Good morning Sesshoumaru. Would you like something?"

Sesshoumaru looked up at her. "No, thank you." He watched her as she sat down and ate her muffin. He took a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Sherrin.

"What's this?" She took the paper. It had a phone number on it.

"I want you to call me before you head home."

"Why?" She looked at him, puzzled.

"Because I don't want you here alone."

Sherrin looked at Sesshoumaru. "You think he might come after me?"

Sesshoumaru nodded. "You make a good target. You live by yourself in an out of the way place. He's already been here at least once."

Sherrin hadn't been worried before. She was now. 'Heather was right to be concerned,' she thought. She finished her muffin and turned to go back in. "I'll be leaving shortly. I don't know exactly when I'll be back."

"Make sure you call me before coming back."

"Okay." Sherrin went in to get ready to leave, thinking of everything she had recently learned. One thing she was sure of; she liked Sesshoumaru. What he was didn't matter. He was kind and thoughtful.

Grabbing her purse and keys, she went back out. She gave Moose a pat and told Sesshoumaru she would see him later. She got in her car and drove off. Sesshoumaru watched her go, then got up, called to Moose, and went to his car. He opened the door for the dog, waited for him to settle in the seat, then went around to the driver's side and got in. He had a lot of work ahead of him.

As Sherrin drove up to Heather's house, she saw Heather just getting out of her dark blue minivan. Sherrin parked at the curb and got out, wondering where Heather had been.

"Sherrin, glad you're here. We've got some major shopping to do!" Heather looked like she was bursting with news; she was excited about something.

"What's up?" Sherrin asked as she walked over to Heather.

"I'm pregnant!"

"Heather! Congratulations!" Sherrin gave her friend a big hug. "This is exciting. Does Mark know?" Heather and Mark had wanted children, but Heather had a hard time getting pregnant.

"Of course, I called him right away. He's taking me out to dinner tonight to celebrate."

Sherrin gave Heather another hug. "So what made you go to the doctor's?"

"I had an appointment anyway, and I mentioned that I missed last month's cycle and we checked. I'm five weeks."

"I'm so happy for you guys! Are you hoping for a boy or girl?"

"Either! As long as it's healthy. And we don't want to know. I already told the doctor."

"So are we baby shopping then?"

"Yup. Colors don't matter either. I'm not one of those 'pink is for girls, blue is for boys' type Mom. Any color, as long as it's cute. We can discuss names too."

"So what do we need to get?"

"Everything. We'll take my van, it holds more stuff. We're going to Madison." She got back in her van and waited for Sherrin to get in on the passenger side. "I ran into Rayna at the hospital, she told me about this baby store in Madison that carries brand new stuff for descent prices." She started the van and backed out of the driveway, turned north, toward Madison.

On the way to Madison, they discussed names.

"Morgan can be a boy or girl name," Sherrin said. She was thankful Heather hadn't mentioned Takashi.

"Let's see, Justin, Matthew, Danielle, Daniel, Joshua, Jeremy, Ashley." Heather shook her head. "Those are all common names."

"How about Donna? That's an old fashioned name."

"No. I want something different."

"How about Neryse?" Sherrin grinned. They were both Star Trek fans.

"Not bad. I'm not sure about using Star Trek names though." Heather brightened. "How about Makayla, M-a-k-a-y-l-a, for a name?"

"That's a nice name and I like the spelling. It's different. How about a boy's name?"

"I don't know. I'm kind of stumped there."

"What does Mark say?"

"We haven't discussed it yet."  
"How about Mark Junior?"

"That is one thing we already agreed _not_ to do. No Juniors!"

"Maybe an ancestor's name." Sherrin had no idea about names for boys, other than Maverick.  
"That's an idea. We still have almost eight months, so we have time to pick."

They turned the conversation to what was needed for the baby until they reached their destination.

"How did Rayna find out about this place?" Sherrin asked, curious.

"Word of mouth. She heard about from another friend when she had Benji." Heather explained how the store got started.

"The woman who runs the place started when she had her baby shower. She got things she didn't need and couldn't return them without the receipts. So she kept the stuff, asked around for donations and started the store. So now it's all donations, mostly stuff that wasn't used and some that are, but in really good condition."

"Wow. So she sells for less than full price?"

"Yeah. Everything is half price. Here we are."

Heather pulled into the parking lot of the store. It was on a side street behind Northside Town Center mall.

Heather parked and they got out.

Sherrin looked at the store.

In the big front windows, there were two pictures of Precious Moments and the store name, "Precious Bundle".

The two women walked inside the store.

"Nice," Sherrin whispered.

It was a fairly big store. On the wall by the windows, was a shelf full of Precious Moments collectables. The checkout counter was next to the shelf. Along most of one side wall and the back wall, dressers, changing tables, cribs and toddler beds were lined up. Along the other side wall up to the counter, baby carriers, high chairs, car seats and bassinets were displayed. The aisle next to the beds held bedding. The next three aisles held clothes, the next one held just diapers and the last two aisles held the rest of things babies needed.

The woman behind the counter smiled at them. "New Mom?"

"How'd you know?" Heather asked, smiling.

"You have that happy look. Boy or girl?"

"Don't know. We don't want to know. Anything I get I don't need, I'll send to you."

"Thanks." The woman smiled. "I'm Mary, just let me know if you need anything."

"Okay."

Heather and Sherrin took their time walking around the store, looking at everything before deciding on what to get.

"I like that crib," Sherrin said, pointing to a wooden crib. It was a dark blue, the mattress a lighter blue with an undersea bumper that went around the inside.

"That's cute. Could you paint fish on it?" Heather liked the undersea theme idea.

"Sure. We could also paint fish in the baby room if you like."

"Really?" Heather looked at Sherrin, delighted with the idea. "You wouldn't mind?"

"No. It'll be one of my gifts." Sherrin was happy to contribute something other than practical stuff. And she enjoyed painting.

They looked at the dressers and changing tables next. Heather liked the changing table with attached dresser. The drawers were under the table, rather than just storage, and at one end was a small cabinet with doors and shelves. It was a light pink color. Heather looked at Sherrin, Sherrin nodded. They then looked at sheets and blankets. Everything had to have an undersea look to it. Blues and greens were the colors. They found a wonderfully soft baby blanket with fish on it.

"So soft," Heather said, running her hands over the blanket.

They took the blanket, sheets and another bumper to the counter.

"We'd like the blue crib and the pink changing table. Can I have my husband pick it up on Monday?"

"Certainly. I'll put a sold sign on them."

Heather smiled. "Thank you. We're going with an undersea theme, have anything we could use?"

"Yes, I have a blue highchair. No fish on it though." She walked Heather and Sherrin over to the baby carriers and car seats. There was a cute little bassinet in light blue, as well as a carrier in a slightly darker blue. None of it sported fish, but the colors matched. The highchair was of a medium bright blue.

"We are really lucking out on the color theme," Heather commented. "Can the highchair go with the crib changing table?"

"Sure." Mary went to write the sold signs for the furniture. "The pink isn't exactly undersea colors."

"I know. My friend here will paint it for me."

"You paint?" Mary asked Sherrin.

Sherrin smiled. "Yes. I'm a free lance artist."

"Maybe I should have you do something for me," Mary said thoughtfully.

"Oh I don't know if you need anything. The Precious Moments says it all." Sherrin smiled again at the woman. "Here's my card anyway." She handed Mary her card with her name, website, e-mail and phone number.

Sherri and Heather went back to shopping.

"What else shall we get?" Sherrin asked, wondering how much Heather had planned on getting.

"Oh, the bigger things. Car seat, a few outfits. Smaller stuff we'll save for the baby shower."

"You already know you're having one?" Sherrin was surprised.

"Rayna is planning it. She just won't say when. Just asked to let her know what I'll need. You're invited of course."

"I'll be there."

They continued their shopping. A dark indigo blue car seat, a baby bag with fish on it, a few one-piece suits, or "onesies", a hat, mittens and foot covers. All were in varying shades of blue, green and purple.

They finally had everything Heather wanted to get. They paid for their purchases and went out to the van.

It was right around noon. They decided to go to the mall and then to Angelo's for lunch.

Sesshoumaru had several libraries to choose from. Picking the South Branch Madison Public Library first, he headed there. He parked in a shady spot and rolled down the windows for Moose and told him to guard the car.

He went in asked at the desk where he could research old newspaper articles. The woman behind the desk directed him to where they kept the old files. There was also a computer for internet research. Sesshoumaru thanked her and went to work. He spent an hour searching for any odd happenings in Wisconsin and surrounding states, working from current times to about 100 years ago. There were a few that mentioned about an odd wolf sighting. One rancher shot an odd wolf and the mounted specimen could be seen at the Wildlife Museum in Madison Valley, Montana. It was known as the Shunka Warak'in. Not what he was looking for.

Not finding much, Sesshoumaru decided to stretch his legs and Moose's as well. He went out to the car and let Moose out. They walked around a bit, enjoying the warm sunshine. It wasn't humid enough yet to be uncomfortable, at least for Sesshoumaru. Moose however was a black long coated dog and needed water. Sesshoumaru got a bottle of water out of the car and let Moose drink most of it, then sprinkled the rest over the dog to help him cool off. Moose shook, water and slobber flying every which way.

Sesshoumaru put Moose back in the car. The car was still in the shade, but that wouldn't last. He would have to move the car if he stayed much longer. He went back into the library.

The woman had noticed Sesshoumaru going out to take care of Moose.

"Excuse me," she said as he passed the desk.

He stopped and looked at her.

"Your dog, is he well behaved? He can come in if he is."

"Very well behaved." Sesshoumaru hesitated a moment. "He's recovering."

"Oh, poor dog. What happened?"

"He was attacked by a bear."

"Bring him in. It's cooler in here than outside."

"Thank you." Sesshoumaru went back out to get Moose. He made sure to close the windows and lock the car before going back in. Moose was happy to follow Sesshoumaru into the cooler building.

The woman came out from behind the desk. "What a beautiful dog." She stroked his head. Moose stood patiently, slowly waving his bushy tail. Several people, ready to check out, stopped to see Moose as well.

"He's huge," one woman said.

"What's he weigh?" her companion asked.

"What kind of dog is he?" another lady asked.

"A Newfoundland. He weighs 160." Sesshoumaru didn't like social encounters with humans. Nor did he didn't enjoy answering questions, but Moose was enjoying the attention. So he endured it.

The people fussed over Moose for a few more minutes, thanked Sesshoumaru, then checked their books out.

Sesshoumaru went back to his search. Moose lay on the floor next to him and went to sleep.

Sesshoumaru broadened his search to include Canada and a few more states. He also went further back in time. He finally found mention of unusual sightings in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Canada. One article was of interest:

The article was dated 1883.

_Eau Claire: 1883 Bob Newly reporter_

_It was told to this reporter in the little town of Eau Claire, Wisconsin that _

_something unusual lived in the wilds of the northern part of this state and our _

_neighbors to the north, Canada. A young Priest had been visiting in Canada and ran_

_into an unknown creature. The young Priest, being the level headed spiritual man,_

_was able to dispatch the creature. The towns people helped him burn the creature_

_to avoid any "evil doings"._

_The young Priest, who wishes to remain un-named, had heard from the friends he was _

_visiting that this wasn't the first such creature. Several had been seen and killed by_

_a "holy man" who tracked the creatures across Canada._

_What happened to the "holy man", or what happened to the bodies of the creatures isn't _

_exactly known._

_This reporter heard some old-timers here mention something about some "Russian Spirit" _

_in connection with the creature. One of the old-timers was a Russian hunter. The _

_creatures came from his homeland (according to him) and moved across Canada. They _

_were hunted by some sort of "holy man" who was experienced in exorcising demons._

_Whether or not this tale is true, this reporter felt obligated to report it. There have _

_been other reports of such sightings in this area to make me think there is something _

_going on we don't understand._

Sesshoumaru read the article, thinking. He needed to look up Russian spirits. He suspected the tale was true and the "creatures" were really youkai from Russia that had migrated to Canada, perhaps to get away from the "holy" hunters. He suspected the youkai was the last remaining member of the group that migrated from Russia. Using the library's computer internet connection, he looked up Russian spirits and found the Leshii. The Leshii was a forest spirit who enjoyed getting human travelers lost.

Glancing at the clock on the wall, he noted it was already noon. He was getting hungry and tired of sitting. He had one last look for unusual sightings or incidents, then he decided it was time to find a place to eat.

Sesshoumaru thanked the receptionist and left with Moose. The car was now in the sun and would be warm inside. He rolled down the windows for Moose before setting off to find a place to eat. As he drove, he thought about how this trip was not going as expected. He had no idea how it would turn out. He had an unknown youkai with unknown motives, the re-incarnation of his beloved Rin and a dog that decided to adopt him.

He drove around a bit, heading in the basic direction he'd need to go back to Elkhorn. He finally found a little Italian restaurant called Angelo's in an out of the way place. He parked the car, leaving the windows down and Moose to guard the car.

There was a large outdoor eating area; a deck with large planters full of nasturtiums, and white tables with colorful umbrellas. Sesshoumaru choose a table where he could see the parking lot and keep an eye on Moose. He sat down and looked at the menu. He noted a dark blue van pull into the parking lot. He sensed Sherrin before the van even stopped. This meal was going to prove interesting.

Heather and Sherrin were out of the van and next to the car when Moose woofed softly. They both started at the large head hanging out the window. Sherrin recognized the car and dog.

"Moose! Good boy." She patted the dog on the head.

"You know this dog?" Heather was intrigued.

"Ah yeah. He adopted Takashi." Sherrin knew she was blushing.

"Oh, I totally forgot to ask about that," Heather said slowly. "I take it he came by for a visit yesterday?"

Still blushing, Sherrin nodded. "Shall we go eat?"

"Oh yes, lets." Heather couldn't wait to meet the mysterious Takashi.

Sesshoumaru watched as they approached. He stood up when they reached his table. "Ladies."

"Takashi, this is my best friend, Heather. Heather, Takashi." Sherrin was sure she was beet red with embarrassment. 'Heather's never gonna let me hear the end of this,' she thought.

Sesshoumaru and Heather shook hands. The moment their hands touched, Heather could sense Sesshoumaru's power, just as Sesshoumaru sensed Heather's abilities. For a moment, Heather tensed and stared wide eyed at Sesshoumaru, realizing he wasn't human, then relaxed and smiled at him. The exchange took just a few seconds.

The two women sat down and picked up their menus. Sesshoumaru sat back down as well. He already knew what he was ordering, so quietly watched the women.

"So Takashi, how long do you plan on staying?" Heather was determined to learn everything she could about him. She would have a long talk with Sherrin on the way home.

"I'm not sure yet. I have to finish my business first."

Sherrin hid behind her menu, fully aware of Heather's tactics.

A waitress came out and took their order.

"The Pasta Louisa for me," Sesshoumaru said, handing back the menu.

"The Chicken Parmigiana for me," Sherrin handed hers back as well. "And a milk."

"I'll have the Penne Bleu please," Heather said. "And a milk also."

The waitress took the orders and the menus. "I'll be right back."

To forestall Heather asking any more questions, Sherrin turned to Sesshoumaru and asked, "So how do you like our humble state of Wisconsin?"

"Nice. Much more open than I would have expected."

The waitress came back with water. "I'll be back shortly with your food."

"Thank you." Heather turned to Sesshoumaru. "What do you plan on doing while you're here?"

"Explore, see what there is to see."

Heather smiled. "If you need a guide, Sherrin is available."

"Heather! He may want to explore alone." Sherrin blushed again. She looked over at Sesshoumaru. He had an amused look on his face.

Any more questions were put on hold as the waitress came with their food.

"Pasta Louisa for you," she handed Sesshoumaru his plate of noodles, chicken, shrimp, sausage, Creole sauce topped with Romano cheese.

"Chicken Parmigiana for you," giving Sherrin her plate of noodles and chicken smothered on Mozzarella and topped with marinara sauce.

"And Penne Bleu for you," giving Heather her plate of noodles, onions and tomatoes in a bleu cheese sauce. The waitress then put the two milks on the table. "Can I get you anything else? No? Okay, enjoy."

They ate in silence for a few minutes, enjoying their food.

"So what business are you here on?" Heather wasn't about to let the meal interrupt her questions for long.

"A little historical research." Sesshoumaru wasn't ready to be very forthcoming.

"So are you married?"

"Heather!" Sherrin was mortified at Heather's bluntness.

"No. My wife died years ago." He found the situation somewhat amusing. Heather, much to Sherrin's discomfort, was playing match-maker, even though she knew he wasn't human. He looked at Sherrin. Her face was red as she pretended to focus on her meal.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Despite her words, Heather brightened. "Like I said before, Sherrin would be happy to be your guide if you need one."

"Sherrin?" Sesshoumaru looked at her.

"No, I wouldn't mind." She looked at Heather with an 'I'm going to get you for this' look. Heather grinned back at her.

Heather went back to her questions, asking him where he was from, what his business was, how he liked it here until they were done with their meal. Heather and Sherrin had left overs and asked for boxes to take it home in.

Sesshoumaru paid for the meal and got ready to leave. Heather went ahead, allowing the other two some time alone.

They walked close together, arms occasionally brushing. Sherrin didn't encourage closer contact, but neither did she discourage it.

Sesshoumaru went no further than the occasional brush against her arm. He was considerate enough not to rush anything. He wouldn't push Sherrin into something she may not be ready for. She needed time to sift through everything that had happened to her in last couple of days.

"I apologize for Heather. She has a tendency to speak her mind."

"It's okay. I think she wants you to be happy." He looked at Sherrin. "I trust Heather."

Sherrin smiled. "That's good to know." She sighed. "I trust her too, but _you_ don't have to drive home with her."

Sesshoumaru smiled back. "Probably just as well."

They reached their respective vehicles.

"Don't forget, call me before heading home."

"I won't." Sherrin smiled, gave Moose another pat and got in the van. Heather was quietly waiting. That wouldn't last long, Sherrin knew. She watched as Sesshoumaru got in the car and drove out of the parking lot.

They took different routes back to Elkhorn, Sesshoumaru going the shortest route, Heather taking a slightly longer route.

Heather drove for a few minutes before saying anything.

"He likes you, you know."

"I kind of figured that out."

"So? You're not going to let him get away are you?"

"Heather, it's not that simple. There's more to it than just saying 'Hey, let's date.'."

"Of course not. Nothing's ever that simple. So he's from Japan and he's not human."

"How do you know that!?" Sherrin was surprised Heather knew.

"You know my family history."

"Yes, you inherited your abilities from your Grandmother." Heather's very Irish Grandmother was what was once called a 'seer'. She could see and feel things others couldn't. Spiritually and psychically.

"When we shook hands. I felt his power. He's very powerful, whatever he is. But he's kind and he likes you." She glanced quickly at Sherrin, then back at the road. "You know what he is?"

"Yes. He's what the Japanese call a youkai or supernatural being. Some call them demons, but not the Western version." Sherrin looked over at Heather. "Just how powerful is he and is he dangerous?"

"From what I felt, very powerful. Dangerous, to you no, someone trying to hurt you, very. But I'm no expert at this stuff." Heather thought back to the touch to remember what else she had felt. "He has his power under complete control and he uses it responsibly. You should go for it Sherrin."

"But, there's so much to think about and…"

"Yeah, yeah. He's not human, he lives in Japan. Big deal. Changes happen to everyone, girlfriend. Trust in him. I do."

"That's funny. He said the same thing about you."

"Really? He trusts me?"

"That's what he said."

"At least spend time with him and get to know him." Heather another quick glance at Sherrin. "You like him don't you?"

"Yes," Sherrin said slowly. "You realize meeting him has changed our lives?"

Heather grinned. "Reality is what you make it."

"Not just that. We can't say anything to anyone."

"What, I can't tell people you're dating a nice guy from Japan who owns a shipping company?"

"You know what I mean."

"Yes, I do. His secret is safe with me."

Notes:

The article Sesshoumaru read is made up.

The Shunka Warak'in can in fact be found in that museum. There are two photos, one older and one more recent. The older one shows an animal that looks more hyena-like than wolf. The more recent one looks more wolf-like. However the views are different, the older one is a side view while the other is a front view.

There really is an Angelo's Italian restaurant in Madison. I changed its location and description to suit my story. The choices are actually on their menu. Sounds really yummy.


	8. Chapter 8 Brief Encounter

**I hope you enjoyed the last chapter.  
**

**Chapter 7 Brief Encounter**

When Sesshoumaru arrived back at the motel, it was early evening. Moose was hungry so Sesshoumaru made sure to feed and water him and give him his medication. The scratches on Moose's shoulder were healing well. After Moose ate, Sesshoumaru took him out for a walk in a small wooded area not far from the motel. Fortunately the motel allowed for pets. He decided to wait outside for Sherrin to call.

Heather needed to fill up the gas tank and stopped along the way home. She and Sherrin also got bottled water to drink. They continued to talk about 'Takashi'. Heather was determined to get the two of them together. She mentioned pros and cons. The only con Heather could see was that Takashi lived in Japan.

"He's down right handsome, nice, I'm sure he's well off financially, he's quite capable of protecting you, and _I_ like him. What else? Oh, what does Maverick think of him?"

Sherrin sighed. "Maverick likes him too." She took a drink of her water, thinking. She was still undecided about what to do and didn't want anyone forcing her to do something she didn't want to do. She knew Heather was trying to be helpful. Given the circumstances, Sherrin thought it was possible she and Sesshoumaru could end up together. But she didn't want to be rushed.

Heather sensed Sherrin's hesitant attitude. "At least allow yourself to get to know him." She looked over at Sherrin. "You two are meant to be together."

When they reached Heather's house, Mark's big blue Dodge Ram truck was parked in the driveway. Heather parked next to the truck as Mark came out of the house.

"Hi Sweetie," he gave Heather a kiss. "Sherrin, how are you doing? Haven't seen you in a while."

"Hi Mark. I'm doing good." She turned to Heather. "Here, let me help you with some of that."

"Thanks. Mark, I'll need you to go to Madison on Monday and pick up some baby furniture." Heather grabbed some packages out of the back of the van.

"So what did you two do all day?" Mark took the baby carrier and bassinet. "Besides shopping for the new addition." They all took their loads into the house.

"We had lunch at Angelo's and met Sherrin's new friend."

Mark looked at Sherrin and raised his eyebrows. "New friend?"

"I only recently met the guy." Sherrin glared at Heather. "He's visiting from Japan."

"Really? What's he like?" He put the baby carrier and bassinet in the baby room. Heather and Sherrin followed him.

"He's the guy you told me about." Heather put her packages down on the floor. The room was completely empty. The walls were white and two big windows brightened the room with sunlight.

"You mean Takashi, the guy who owns the shipping company?" Mark was surprised.

"Yeah. He's here on vacation." Sherrin added her packages to the rest. "Are we leaving this stuff on the floor here?"

"Until we get the furniture. You know, a rocking chair would be nice too." Heather looked around the room. "Oh, we decided on an under the sea theme and Sherrin said she'd paint for us." Heather beamed at Sherrin.

"Ah. Explains the colors." Mark turned to Sherrin. "From what Anthony told me, this Takashi is kind of a recluse. Stays out of the public eye, doesn't allow pictures."

"I stay out of the public eye too," Sherrin reminded them. "I have no desire to be famous and be hounded by reporters. What else did he say?" Sherrin was curious to hear what someone else thought of 'Takashi'.

"His company ships world wide and is safer than FedEx or UPS. You know Anthony works at the big insurance office in Chicago. He checked their record, they've never had an accident, never filed a claim." Mark grinned. "He's fairly rich too from what Anthony said."

"He's also very nice, "Heather added.

"Thanks guys." Sherrin wanted to end the conversation. "I'd better get going home. Maverick will want his dinner."

Heather walked Sherrin out to the car. "Thanks for coming with me. I wouldn't have wanted to miss this day for anything."

"You can't tell Mark."

"I know. It's a good thing I don't have lie about it though. Just omit some things."

Sherrin got in her car and buckled the seatbelt.

"Don't forget to call him," Heather smilingly reminded her.

"Yes, Mother," Sherrin pulled her cell phone out and the paper Sesshoumaru had given her. "I'll work on some ideas for the baby's room. Let me know when you want it painted."

"Okay. Thanks Sherrin. Have a fun evening." She went back in the house to let Sherrin have some privacy to call Takashi.

Looking at the number, Sherrin dialed and got an immediate answer. "I'm about to head home now."

"Stop at the motel first. I'll follow you."

"Okay. See you in 10, 15 minutes." Sherrin hung up and headed home.

He woke up early in the afternoon. He was more of a night creature than a day creature and tended to sleep into the afternoon. The sun shone brightly down, casting shadows around the cave and on the forest floor. A few clouds drifted by, creating moving shadows.

He crawled out of the cave, stretched and shook. He looked around, trying to decide what to do. After a few minutes, he headed south, thinking of the female that lived alone.

He crossed a road, went through a field and passed a farm. This farm had a wooded play area for the children. There were no children in sight but the farmer was out in the field next to the wooded area.

Creeping through the wooded area he decided to have some fun.

Hans was clearing the field of any debris. This field wouldn't be used again until next spring, but he wanted it to be ready. He rotated his crops for better quality, giving the soil a chance to recover nutrients. He was bouncing along on his tractor by the wooded area when he saw the bushes rustling. Stopping the tractor, he turned it off. The sound was clear to hear, something was in the bushes, growling.

Hans was big, six foot five, 240 pounds. He wasn't afraid of any animal that might be prowling around. However, he remembered the man who was killed further south by an unknown animal. The man hadn't stood a chance. Hans's only weapon was the tractor. It was big but slow. Whatever the animal was, it would be faster than the tractor. Hans decided to go get his shotgun.

He started the tractor and turned it, heading back to the farm house. He glanced back and wished he hadn't. What he saw scared him. Standing just outside the woods was a large upright wolf like creature, up right pointed ears, long black fur or hair, long fangs, glowing red eyes. It was the creepiest thing Hans had ever seen. He put the tractor into its top speed and hoped the thing wouldn't come after him. When he got closer to the house, he looked back again. The thing was gone. He scanned the entire field and didn't see anything. Parking the tractor, he went into the house and got his shotgun. He didn't feel safe without it. He called the police to report the creature.

Deputy Thompson came out to have a look around. He had received many such reports in the last week. Every report had to be checked out since the Manning case. Officially it was an animal attack. But nothing conclusive had been found.

Hans took Deputy Thompson to the field where he had seen the thing. There were a few tracks in the dirt. Thompson looked them over carefully. They weren't very well defined and could have been bear tracks. He couldn't be sure.

"It was no bear!" Hans was very sure about that. "It looked more like a wolf."

Deputy Thompson made the report and went back to the station. He put down it was a bear.

He continued south. It wasn't as fun to scare the big guy. He had come back with reinforcements and weapons. It was getting later, children were playing outside in yards and parents were getting home from work. There was too much traffic on the roads to play tricks there. He kept to the fields and woods. Twice he came upon a lone person walking and scared them by making noises and following for a short distance without showing himself. And once he came upon two teenage boys in the woods. He decided to play the best trick of all, getting them lost. It wasn't even a big patch of woods, but after an hour, the teenagers were so turned around and scared they had no idea where they were. A search party found the boys hours later, just a 15 minute walk from the road.

He finally made it to the female's house. He walked around, sniffing. The other male's scent was all around the house. It made him growl in anger. The male wasn't there, but he suspected the male would be back. He thought about how to get rid of the male. A merry chase in the woods and getting him lost would be fun. Get him lost, confused and scared then attack.

Disappointed that the female wasn't there, he wandered around, checking out the house and woods. A big cat hissed and growled at him from the back of the house, but it ran through a little door into the house before he could catch it. The door was way too small for him to get through and he wasn't that inclined to go after the cat to rip the door apart. He decided to wait for the female to come back. While waiting, he wandered around some more, making sure to leave his scent everywhere. He wanted the other male to know this was _his_ territory.

Sherrin pulled into the parking lot of the motel. She saw Sesshoumaru sitting on a bench in a little park like area near the motel. Moose was lying next to Sesshoumaru on the cool grass.

Sesshoumaru watched as Sherrin pulled in, then got up and went over to her car, Moose following.

"How was your day?" Sherrin asked as she got out of the car.

"Lots of reading. I did get some interesting information."

"Heather knows about you."

Sesshoumaru nodded. "She has some sort of psychic ability. I felt it when we shook hands."

"She said the same thing. She also said she trusts you." Sherrin leaned against her car door. She was tired after the long day of driving and shopping. "So what are your plans?"

"I'll follow you to your house. Guard duty."

Sherrin shook her head. "Is it really necessary?" She wasn't used to having someone protect her.

"I don't want anything to happen to you."

Sherrin smiled. "I'm glad you care, it's just something I'm not used to." She touched his arm before getting back in her car. "I'm glad you're here."

Sesshoumaru smiled and went to his car, let Moose in and got in. It didn't show, but he was very relieved to hear Sherrin say she was glad he was there. She was his Rin, yet not quite Rin. He knew he wouldn't be leaving after this hunt was over.

It was still light out as Sherrin got out of her car. She locked it and turned to wait for Sesshoumaru. As she did, something came out of the woods on the far side of the driveway. It was the youkai. He was in human form. Despite being good looking, Sherrin wouldn't have touched him with a 10 foot pole. He was tall and slim; he was grungy, his long black hair was an oily tangled mess that hung halfway down his back. His clothes were dirty and torn. He had smudges of dirt on his face.

Sesshoumaru had pulled in right behind Sherrin. Even before he got out of the car, he sensed the presence of the youkai.

"Invader!" the youkai spat as Sesshoumaru got out of the car. "This is _my_ territory, _my _female!"

"I am no one's female!" The statement irritated Sherrin. She was no one's property to be claimed. "I am not something you just claim as yours!"

The youkai let out a hissing laugh. "I am Lyosha, and I have already claimed everything here. You will be mine." He took a few steps toward Sherrin but stopped. Sesshoumaru was suddenly in front of Sherrin.

Sesshoumaru had moved so fast, even the youkai had seen only a blur.

Lyosha sized up the other male and realized he was far more powerful than he had first thought. A fight now wouldn't be to his benefit. He would wait.

"Leave this area, leave humans alone and it goes no further." Sesshoumaru didn't think Lyosha would listen but he wanted to give Lyosha a chance.

"Why should I?" Lyosha sneered.

"It's safer. Humans don't hunt us if they don't know we exist."

"Then you're weak," Lyosha snarled. "Humans are nothing more than playthings to do with what we want."

Sesshoumaru shook his head. "No matter how strong you are sheer numbers will get you." He knew that Lyosha would never follow the rules Shanshita came up with. Even though youkai were more powerful than humans, it was simply easier to hide among humans as a human than to try and dominate them. The number of humans was too great to overpower. Most youkai preferred to live in peace without fear of being hunted.

"No! I will never live in peace with humans. They are weak, worthless creatures," Lyosha growled his displeasure.

Sesshoumaru understood how Lyosha felt. He had felt that way once upon a time. But he had learned otherwise. Humans could be very strong and determined. And not at all worthless. "I can't allow you to endanger us with your actions."

"I will kill you next time we meet." Lyosha turned, transformed and loped off.

Sherrin stood, frightened, angry and feeling slightly sorry for Lyosha.

"Are you okay?"

Sherrin turned at the sound of Sesshoumaru's voice. "Yes. A little frightened."

Sesshoumaru gently touched her back as they walked to the house. "You're safe with me. I don't think he'll try anything tonight. He's discovered I'm more powerful than he thought."

"You, ah, you moved really fast." Sherrin had been surprised by the speed of Sesshoumaru's move.

"Speed is just one of my abilities." Sesshoumaru kept his hand on Sherrin's back as they walked. The muscles of her back had been tense and were slowly relaxing with his touch.

"What other abilities do you have? Can you transform too?" Sherrin was comforted by Sesshoumaru's touch. She had been frightened and worried before but felt calmer now.

"Most youkai can transform."

"I'm guessing you have different forms?" She thought about all the odd sightings she had a habit of reading about and watching shows like Monster Quest.

"Each youkai has an alternate form, depending on the youkai type."

"What type are you?" Sherrin got her keys out to unlock the door as they walked up onto the porch. The porch was well lit as the flood lights had come on.

Sesshoumaru looked at her as she unlocked the door. "A dog."

Sherrin looked up at him, startled. "A dog?" She opened the door and invited him in.

"A 40 foot tall dog." Sesshoumaru looked at her, slightly amused.

"A 40 foot tall dog." It wasn't what she expected. But then she really hadn't known what to expect. "Well, it explains why you are so protective."

As they entered the living room, Sherrin turned on the nearest lights. Maverick came walking up to her, meowing. He was all puffed up, looking twice his normal size.

"Look at you Maverick. What're you so upset about?" Sherrin went into the kitchen to get him some food.

"He probably sensed Lyosha outside."

Moose, who had followed them into the kitchen, looked for a drink. Maverick glared at him. Sherrin put Maverick's food on the counter, away from the dog and got a bowl of water for Moose. Moose lapped up the water, dripping on the floor when he finished.

"You're going to need a towel under your water bowl, you sloppy Moose." So saying, she got a towel and put it under the bowl.

After making tea for both of them, Sherrin went and sat down in the living room. Sesshoumaru and Moose followed. Moose lay on the floor next to Sesshoumaru while Maverick sat on the back of Sherrin's chair, keeping an eye on the dog.

"So what are the plans now?" Sherrin wanted to know, now that they'd actually met the youkai.

"I have to go after him. He's a danger to both youkai and humans."

Sherrin nodded. "Do you plan on going out tonight?"

"No. He'll try losing me and come back here. I don't want you alone tonight."

"What about in the morning, won't he do the same?"

"Most likely. But you can go to Heather's or have her come here. I'd rather you go there."

Sherrin thought about it. "I'll call Heather in the morning and tell her I'm coming over. I'm going to be painting the baby's room." She explained about Heather being pregnant and offering to paint the undersea theme they had chosen.

Sesshoumaru expressed interest in her art ability.

"Let me show you." She got up and went to the den, Sesshoumaru following. Sherrin showed him some of her art work.

She had a painting of a tiger on the easel. The tiger was on a rock with the sun setting behind it. She hadn't decided what to do with it so had left it there. There was also a small painting of Maverick hanging on the wall.

"You're very good," Sesshoumaru commented as he looked at the tiger painting. "Do you paint for others or just a hobby?"

"It's more of a paying hobby than anything else. I'm a freelance artist, so I can pick and chose what I want to paint."

"So if someone asks you to paint something you'll do it?"

"Depends. If someone wants something very specific, I won't do it. I prefer to be creative."

"So if I ask you to paint, say, Moose, you'd have no problem?" Sesshoumaru asked as he turned and walked out of the room.

"No. I'd enjoy painting Moose." Sherrin followed him out. "Would you like me to?"

"Depends on Moose."

"What will you do with him when this over?"

Sesshoumaru looked at Moose. Moose looked back at him and waved his tail. "Water rescue I suppose." He had no idea what water rescue all included but he had a feeling he was going to learn.

Sherrin was getting hungry and tired. It wasn't that late yet, but it had been a long day. She went to the kitchen to finish her left overs from the restaurant.

"Do you want anything to eat?" she asked as she heated up the plate of food.

"No, thank you." Sesshoumaru went and sat back in the chair he had been in before. He stroked Moose's head, thinking.

As Sherrin ate, she wondered if Sesshoumaru would spend the night outside again. When she finished, she cleaned up the plate and went back into the living room. "Do you plan on guarding me again?" she asked with a smile.

Sesshoumaru nodded.

"You don't have to spend the night outside." She pointed at the couch. "You can sleep there or sit and read." She shrugged. "I'm going to bed."

"Thank you. Good night." He watched her go. Settling into the chair, Sesshoumaru did some

thinking. He had some major choices to make and depending on what choices he made major changes to his life to make.

Notes:

Sesshoumaru's dog form size is just my estimate, based on size comparison with InuYasha, in both anime and manga.


	9. Chapter 9 The Hunt

**The hunt part took me a while to do.**

**Chapter8 The Hunt**

The morning dawned cool and cloudy. Clouds piled up, grey and ominous looking. A slight breeze stirred.

Sherrin woke up, unable to move her legs. Sitting up, she realized a large black lump was lying across her legs. "Hey, what are you doing on my bed?" She pushed at the black lump, and Moose jumped off the bed.

"What a crappy looking day," Sherrin said as she got out of bed and looked out the window. She got washed and dressed, another Star Trek t-shirt, black jeans and her hiking shoes. She combed her hair and put it in a pony tail.

Before going into the kitchen, Sherrin checked on Sesshoumaru. He was in the chair, using her laptop.

"I hope you don't mind my borrowing this." He indicated the laptop.

"No, that's okay. What are you looking up?"

"What I need to know about water rescue."

"So you plan on keeping Moose?"

"That's up to Moose."

Moose came out into the living room and went to the door to go out. Maverick kept watch on Moose, sitting on the computer desk.

Sesshoumaru got up, put Sherrin's laptop back on the desk and went to let Moose out. Maverick followed him out and sat on the porch railing.

Sherrin waited for Sesshoumaru to come back in, then asked if he wanted breakfast.

"What are you making?"

"What would you like?"

"Eggs and bacon or sausage?"

"Sounds good." Sherrin went into the kitchen and got out several eggs, a package of sausage links and bread. She fried up the eggs and sausage and made toast. She loaded two plates with the food and handed one to Sesshoumaru, who had sat down on one of the bar stools.

They enjoyed a quiet breakfast together. Sherrin was surprised at the intimate atmosphere of the simple breakfast.

"Very good," Sesshoumaru said as he picked up his empty plate and rinsed it in the sink.

"Thanks." Sherrin rinsed her plate as well. She then called Heather to let her know she was coming over. After hanging up, she went and gathered her art supplies.

"I'm leaving now. How long should I stay at Heather's?"

"I'm not sure how long this will take." He looked at Sherrin. "I don't want you here alone."

Sherrin nodded. She made sure the door was locked as they went out on the porch.

They walked out to their cars together, Moose following Sesshoumaru. Sherrin put her supplies into her car before turning to Sesshoumaru. "Please be careful," she told him as she got in her car.

Sesshoumaru smiled. "I'll be careful."

Sherrin drove off, worried about Sesshoumaru.

Sesshoumaru watched wistfully as Sherrin drove off. He had enjoyed the companionable silence of breakfast. They had been comfortable enough with each other that talking wasn't necessary. Making sure he had everything he needed, he called to Moose and they took off.

Sherrin arrived at Heather's just as a deluge of rain fell from the heavy grey clouds. She quickly got her supplies and ran onto the covered porch.

Heather opened the door and let her in. "Hey, what's up? Don't worry, I sent Mark off rocking chair shopping." Heather grinned. She had sent him off so she could talk to Sherrin.

"Sesshoumaru…" Sherrin started to say.

"Who?"

"Oh, sorry. Takashi's real name is Sesshoumaru. I have to remember to call him Takashi out in public."

"Why'd he change his name?"

"Takashi's more modern sounding he said. Anyway, he's gone after the creature."

"Aha, so that's his real business here isn't it? Why bother coming all this way to go after a creature that most people don't believe in?"

"Because the creature is another youkai like Takashi."

"Another youkai?" Heather took Sherrin into the baby room. Sherrin put her supplies down on the floor, as the furniture hadn't arrived yet.

"Yeah. Seems he's not fond of us 'weak worthless creatures', as he called us. Oh and get this, he says he has claimed me as his mate!" That still bothered Sherrin.

"What!?" Heather stared at Sherrin.

"That's what he said. He claimed the territory and me as his!" Sherrin shuddered at the thought.

"Don't worry girl, your boyfriend will protect you." Heather teased.

"It's why he wanted me to come here."

Heather noticed Sherrin didn't refute the boyfriend part.

"So you are to stay safe and paint fishies. What can I do to help?"

Sesshoumaru looked for a safe place to park the car in the middle of what he guessed would be Lyosha's territory. Finding a place near an old abandon barn, he parked the car, got out, and letting Moose out as he reached for the walking stick. He paused, thinking. He had no way of carrying the walking stick without using his hands. He wanted his hands free. Moose looked at him as if to say "you don't need that much power."

Making sure the walking stick wasn't visible, Sesshoumaru locked up the car and the two of them set off.

As they cast around for a recent scent, the sky dumped its heavy load. Before long, everything was soaked. Sesshoumaru wasn't sure they'd find a scent.

Moose continued to cast around until he found something. Looking up at Sesshoumaru, he gave a soft woof. As good as Sesshoumaru's sense of smell was, Moose was trained for water search as well as ground and air tracking.

"Let's go." Sesshoumaru picked up the scent as well and they followed.

The trail led slowly north, twisting and turning, going through a patch of woods here, a field there. A few times the scent was concentrated at one spot, mixed with human. Lyosha had apparently stopped to mess with humans.

Sesshoumaru and Moose followed the trail for another hour, crossing more fields and patches of woods. Several times, they crossed through farm fields, most with crops recently planted. Sesshoumaru took the extra time to avoid messing up the crops. He noted Lyosha had no such problem destroying crops. A couple of times they crossed roads. Again, Sesshoumaru was careful not to let anyone see him. At one point, they had almost caught up with Lyosha, but he had escaped when he frightened motorists as he crossed a road. Sesshoumaru and Moose waited in the trees until the people had gone before continuing.

By mid morning, they entered a large expanse of forest. The rain had finally stopped, but the grey dreary day became even darker. Darker clouds gathered, threatening more rain. As Sesshoumaru and Moose made their way into the forest, they were quickly soaked. Rain dripped from every branch, every leaf.

It didn't take Sesshoumaru long before he caught sight of Lyosha.

Lyosha, sensing his pursuers behind him, stopped and looked back. Spotting Sesshoumaru, he softly laughed. He waited for Sesshoumaru to get close enough to talk, then disappeared. Laughing, he re-appeared about a hundred yards in another direction. This was his favorite game. Humans quickly got confused and lost after only a few minutes of it. Sesshoumaru was different matter however. He quickly caught on to the game.

"Lyosha!" Sesshoumaru growled at youkai when he caught up to him the second time. "Leave humans alone and go home!" Sesshoumaru tried one more time to give Lyosha a chance.

"Never! Humans are worthless! They deserve to die!" Lyosha disappeared, reappearing a little ways away. "Humans hate us, hunt us!"

"If humans don't know you exist, they won't hunt you." Sesshoumaru closed the gap between them.

"They hunted us in our homeland, followed us here, killed my family! They deserve to die!" Lyosha disappeared again.

It was as Sesshoumaru had thought. Lyosha was the only member left of the family group that had migrated from Russia.

Lyosha played the game a little differently. His ability had a distance limit of only 200 yards. He only needed to re-appear briefly before being able to disappear again. For humans, a shorter distance worked well, but for his adversary, the whole 200 yards would be needed. He allowed only a brief glimpse before disappearing. In this way, he tried to lead his adversary on a wild goose chase to wear him out.

Sesshoumaru found following Lyosha wasn't easy. Each time he re-appeared, it was from a different direction. There was no pattern to his moves. It was all just random zig-zagging through the trees.

After another hour of this cat and mouse game, Lyosha realized he wasn't wearing out his adversary. He tried a sneak attack from behind.

Sesshoumaru and Moose both whirled when they sensed Lyosha approaching. They both growled. Lyosha stopped when he saw it wouldn't work. He knew there was no surprising this one.

"This can only end one way," Lyosha snarled. But Lyosha wasn't ready to fight. He needed an advantage, as his opponent was more powerful than he. Right now he didn't have the advantage. So he changed his strategy. After losing the hunter, he would head back to the female's place and take her. So he zigged and zagged his way through the forest without stopping. Without waiting for his adversary to catch up, he should have a fairly good head start once he went back.

Sherrin and Heather went to Home Depot to get paint.

"We'll need a blue base coat," Sherrin said in response to Heather's asking how she could help.

They spent nearly an hour looking at colors. Finally, Sherrin found one she liked. It was a light enough blue that she could use her paints over it, but still give the impression of the ocean.

Once bought, the two women headed back to Heather's. Putting on old clothes, Heather helped Sherrin paint. Between them, it took nearly four hours to paint the walls.

"So did you spend time with Takashi last night?" Heather asked innocently as she painted.

"Yes. He stayed the night." Sherrin knew Heather would jump all over that.

"He stayed?!" She looked over at Sherrin. "What did you…?"

"Sorry to disappoint you, we didn't do anything. He was guarding me." Sherrin grinned back at Heather.

"He must really care about you." Heather didn't think they would have done anything, but she enjoyed teasing Sherrin.

"Yes he does."

"So do you two have plans when his, ah, business is over?" Heather sat on the floor, to get at the lower walls.

"He hasn't said anything, other than what he mentioned at lunch yesterday."

"I bet he plans on getting to know you."

Sherrin looked down at Heather. "Wouldn't he already know me, if I'm the reincarnation of his wife?"

"Yes and no. You're probably similar in many ways to this, what was her name?"

"Rin."

"Rin. But your life experiences are most likely different from what hers were. So you won't be exactly the same."

"I hadn't thought of that."

They took a lunch break. While they were eating, Mark called Heather to let her know he would be home later. They would be going out to dinner with his parents.

"They're excited to be grandparents," Heather said of her in-laws. "How much can we get done today you think?" She asked as they went back to painting.

"Well, the walls are done. Some trim and detail work. Another couple of hours." Sherrin looked around. "Do you have something I can stand on to reach higher up?" They had used long handled painting tools earlier to reach high up.

Heather went and got her a stool. "What are you planning?"

"You can paint the trim, a darker blue color around the windows and door. I'll show what I'm going to do."

As Heather did the trim, Sherrin turned the top 18 inches of the wall into a sunlit ocean. When walking into the room, it looked like you had just stepped into the ocean.

"Wow! I feel like I need to have a mask on." Heather looked a round the room. "Beautiful!"

Sherrin decided to add a few playful dolphins swimming in the sunlit water. She would paint the fish later. She decided on a border style, about four feet up the wall; a variety of colorful reef fish.

By the time Mark came home, it was late afternoon. He had found a very nice rocker, blue with a lighter blue cushion. He brought it into the baby room.

"Wow! I feel like I need to go swimming." He put the rocker in a corner. Heather went and sat in it to try it out.

"Perfect. This is going to be a very relaxing room. Thanks Sherrin."

"No problem. I'd better get going. I need to get something for dinner." She knew that Heather and Mark had to get ready for their dinner and didn't want to overstay her welcome.

Heather walked her out. "Is it okay for you go home?"

"I don't know. I'll stop and do some shopping. I need some things anyway."

"Be careful. If Takashi isn't back yet, go out somewhere, in public."

"Yes Mother." Sherrin knew Heather was worried about her.

"I agree with Takashi, you shouldn't be home by yourself."

"If he's not there, I'll go to the diner or something. Have fun at dinner!" Sherrin got in her car, put the seatbelt on and drove to Wal-Mart. She spent some time there shopping, getting things she was low on. She thought about Sesshoumaru as she shopped, wondering if she should pick anything up for him. Not knowing what he liked or used, she decided against it. She paid for what she had gotten and headed home. As she passed Marty's Diner, she realized she hadn't gotten anything for dinner. So she stopped to order out another buffalo dinner for two.

Lyosha was certain he had given the hunter the slip. He couldn't see, hear or smell him. He quickly made his way back south to the female's house. He circled the place once, angered that she wasn't there. As he made another circuit, he saw a car come up the dirt road. Staying in the woods, he waited.

Sherrin drove up to the house. It was dark, even though it was still fairly early. The storm clouds had gathered and threatened thunder and lightning. Sherrin stopped and parked her car. She noted that Sesshoumaru wasn't back yet. She needed to at least put the dinner away before going anywhere else. She got out of the car and just as she closed the door, something hit her in the back, sending her sprawling on the wet ground. She rolled over and looked up, frightened by what she saw. Lyosha looked like a werewolf. Covered in black hair, pointed ears, red glowing eyes, long dripping fangs, sharp claws, he looked terrifying.

"You!"

Lyosha hissed. "You are mine!" He bounded over to Sherrin to grab her but something sharp landed on his head. He screeched and yowled as four sets of claws and four large canines buried themselves in his skin and scalp. He spun and whirled, trying to get at the angry cat.

Maverick hissed, clawing and biting harder. He wasn't about to let go of the creature.

Sherrin gasped as a ball of white light streaked out of the field, slamming into the youkai. She saw Maverick leap off as the youkai went flying. She got to her knees, about to get up when she felt a mass of wet fur knock into her, knocking her back down. Moose stood over her, growling and showing his teeth.

Sherrin wriggled out from under Moose and sat up, watching in fear as Lyosha recovered and charged the ball of light as it transformed into Sesshoumaru. She hung on to the quivering dog, partly for support and partly to keep him from charging into the fight.

Sesshoumaru twisted out of the way and lashed out as Lyosha went by.

The force of the blow, added to the momentum of the charge, sent Lyosha flying into the woods. Sesshoumaru went after him.

Angered beyond reason, Lyosha struck out, slashing with his claws. He knew he was fighting for his life and went berserk, arms flailing, trying to slash and tear whatever he could reach. Lyosha snarled and snapped, trying in vain to rip Sesshoumaru apart.

Sesshoumaru avoided the attacks, observing how Lyosha fought. It was all brute strength, no forethought or strategy involved. Because of this, the fight was short but vicious. Wanting to end it quickly, Sesshoumaru ducked under a swipe and attacked, catching a glancing blow on his right shoulder. He ripped into Lyosha's mid section.

Lyosha froze, startled by the pain. He let out a snarl and fell to his knees.

"You should have listened." Sesshoumaru backed up as Lyosha fell to the ground. He used his poison to finish the job. The poison dissolved the body, leaving no evidence. He went back to Sherrin.

Sherrin sat, holding onto Moose, unsure of what was going on in the woods until Sesshoumaru came back out. She sighed with relief. Moose's stance relaxed and his tail started waving.

"Are you okay?" Sesshoumaru asked as he knelt next to her. He noted she was wet and muddy, with a scrape on her temple.

Sherrin nodded. "Scared."

Sesshoumaru gently helped her up. She was shaking and a little unsteady on her feet. He wrapped his arms around her and held her until she calmed down.

Sherrin leaned into the embrace, feeling safe. She had been frightened, not just for herself, but for Sesshoumaru. Her feelings were in a jumbled mess, needing to be sorted out.

She saw blood on his shoulder. "You're bleeding." She pulled away and looked at him with concern.

"It's just a scratch. It will heal quickly."

"We should at least get it cleaned up." Sherrin turned to go to the house. Her stomach growled.

"Dinner!" She suddenly remembered the reason why she had gotten out of the car.

"Dinner?" Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow.

Sherrin got the take out meal from the car. "Yeah. I stopped to get something for us to eat. It's why I got out of the car." She smiled ruefully at Sesshoumaru. "Even Heather told me not to stay here if you weren't here."

As they walked together back to the house, Sesshoumaru kept his hand on her back, thankful she was okay.

Sherrin unlocked the door, went in and turned on the lights. She went straight to the kitchen, put the food down and directed Sesshoumaru to sit on the stool. As Sesshoumaru pulled the shirt off his shoulder, Sherrin got some paper towels and hot, soapy water. She put the bowl of water on the counter, dipped a paper towel in the bowl and turned to the scratches. There were three, long but shallow. Gently she washed them with the soapy water and patted them dry with another paper towel.

"Your turn." Sesshoumaru said as he pulled the shirt back on his shoulder.

"What?" Sherrin looked at, confused.

"You have a scrape." He pointed to her temple. "Sit." He got some clean paper towels, dipped them in the warm soapy water. Leaning close, he gently cleaned the scrape of mud and dirt.

Sherrin winced, for the first time realizing her head hurt. She sat still, letting Sesshoumaru clean her up. He was so close; she could smell him. It was a pleasing scent, slightly woodsy and spicy. She then noticed that she had mud on her clothes. She needed a bath.

When he was finished, Sesshoumaru stepped back. "Okay?"

Sherrin nodded. "I need a bath."

"Eat first." Sesshoumaru cleaned up the water and paper towels then warmed up the take out meal. He gave her a plate and took the other. As he ate, he watched Sherrin carefully. He could sense her emotions were in turmoil and she was still a little shaky.

"Buffalo again?" he asked, to get her mind off the incident.

"What?" It took her a moment to realize what he had asked. "Oh. You seemed to like it. Besides, it's good for you. Healthier than beef."

"I do like it. How's it healthier?"

"Higher in protein, lower in fat and cholesterol." She sighed. "I suppose you don't have to worry about fat and cholesterol do you?"

Smiling, Sesshoumaru answered no. Noticing that Sherrin was just picking at her food, he took her plate. "Go take a bath, I'll clean up."

Sherrin nodded. She was very tired. She went into the bathroom, turned on the hot water to fill the large tub and went to get clean underwear and nightshirt. Back in the bathroom, she undressed, dropping her dirty clothes on the floor. The bath was ready; she turned the water off, tied up her hair and stepped in. Sitting down, she let the hot water sooth away all the tension and aches. She relaxed to the point of falling asleep. She jerked awake with knocking on the door.

"Sherrin, you okay?" Sesshoumaru's voice held concern.

"Yes. I feel asleep."

"The bed is a safer place to sleep."

Smiling to herself at the obvious statement, Sherrin got out, dried off and got dressed. Gathering up her dirty clothes, she opened the door. Sesshoumaru was leaning against the wall. She brushed past him, dropped the clothes in the laundry basket and turned to Sesshoumaru. "You can do what you want," she said, yawning. "I'm going to bed."

He gave her a nod of thanks and watched her walk into her bedroom. Her nightshirt was long, going to mid-thigh. It covered her bottom but showed her long legs. With a sigh, he went to the living room and sat on the couch. He wouldn't do what he really wanted to do; curl up with Sherrin and sleep.

Moose came over as Sesshoumaru stretched out on the couch. Moose sat and put his head on Sesshoumaru's chest, inviting a pat. Sesshoumaru stroked the furry head. "What do we do now, Moose?" he said softly to the dog before falling asleep.

Notes:

Yes, buffalo is better for you than beef and has a slightly sweeter taste. Cost wise, it's slightly higher in price than Black Angus beef.


	10. Chapter 10 Vacation

**Sorry the fight seemed short. Lyosha wasn't that powerful and Sessh could easily defeat him. I gave Lyosha an unusual ability that Sessh had to figure out, that also explained the Leshii's ability to trick humans and get them lost. **

Chapter 9 I'm on Vacation

Sesshoumaru woke up, his eyes hurting. Sitting up, he took the colored contacts out and put them in the little carrying case he kept in his pocket. He had had them in too long. Blinking a few times, his eyes felt better.

Moose was standing by the door, waiting. Sesshoumaru got up and let him out. While waiting for Moose to come back, he went into the bathroom and washed up. By the time he was done, Moose was ready to come back in. He went and sat back down on the couch, pulled out his cell phone and called home. No one was there so he left a message that he was on vacation. The last time he had taken a "vacation", he had in fact been searching for Rin. Moriko would understand the message.

Sherrin blinked at the sun shining in her eyes. She stretched and sat up, thinking. Memories of the night before floated around in her mind. She had mixed feelings about what happened. She knew Sesshoumaru did what he had to do, but wondered if any other outcome may have been possible had Lyosha been willing to listen.

As she got washed, she heard the front door open and close. She wondered what Sesshoumaru was doing. Dressing in a tiger t-shirt she got at the Milwaukee Zoo, her usual black jeans and hiking shoes, she went out to see what he was up to. He was sitting on the couch, putting his cell phone away. He looked up as she walked into the living room.

Sherrin noticed his eyes for the first time and stared.

"Sorry. Do they bother you?" Sesshoumaru quickly realized she was staring at his eyes.

"No. It just never occurred to me your eyes weren't dark brown."

"I can put the contacts back in. I had them in too long, they were bothering me."

"It's okay. You have very striking eyes."

"Hence the need for colored contacts in public."

"Well, my house isn't public. You can go with or without. Your choice." She looked him over. "You may want to change clothes though." She had noticed he was still in the clothes from the night before.

"I need a ride to my car." Sesshoumaru explained about leaving it.

"Okay. Do you want to go now or wait?"

"Now." Sesshoumaru fingered the torn shirt. "I don't really want to wear this any longer than I have to."

Sherrin nodded and got her keys. "Okay, let's go." She locked behind them. Moose was looking out the window, watching them leave.

Sesshoumaru gave her directions to the abandoned barn and in a short time they had reached the car.

"You're going to the motel to change?" Sherrin asked as Sesshoumaru checked to make sure no one had tried to break into the car. He nodded the affirmative.

"I'm going to go home then and start breakfast. I'm hungry."

"I'll meet you back there."

Sherrin nodded as she got in her car. She thought about the events of the night before. She had some questions for Sesshoumaru. As for Sesshoumaru himself, she had learned one thing; she liked him a lot. She had been concerned for him when she realized he had been hurt, even though it wasn't serious. She felt safe and cared for with him. Though they'd known each other for only a few days, she felt as if they had been friends for years.

Sherrin was greeted by Moose when she unlocked the door. He looked past her, out the door then looked up at her as if to ask 'where is he?' Sherrin smiled at him as she stroked his head. "He'll be back, don't worry."

She put her keys away, checked to make sure there was water for both animals. Standing at the sink, she thought about breakfast. "French toast," she muttered to herself. She got out the makings for breakfast. She fried up bacon first, making extra for Sesshoumaru and put it in the oven to keep warm. After cleaning the pan, she made the egg batter and started making the toast. She made two slices for both of them though she wasn't sure Sesshoumaru would like the toast.

She knew Sesshoumaru was back when Moose went trotting to the front door, his bushy tail waving. Putting the fry pan in the sink, Sherrin went to the door and opened it. Moose went out and greeted Sesshoumaru as he got out of the car.

Sesshoumaru, now in a dark blue t-shirt, black jeans and black walking shoes, walked up to the house. He could smell bacon and another scent he wasn't quite sure of, though he could make out the scent of eggs.

"I hope you like French Toast," Sherrin said as he came up on the porch.

"I've never had it." He sniffed as he followed Sherrin in. "Smells good though."

Sherrin placed plates on the breakfast counter along with the warmed up toast and bacon, cinnamon, sugar and butter. She buttered hers, added the cinnamon and sugar and started to eat. Sesshoumaru followed suit, carefully trying the new food.

It was, he decided, good. The butter had melted along with the cinnamon and sugar, creating a sort of slightly sweet syrup. "Very good."

Sherrin was pleased to hear that. She hadn't been sure he'd like it, being a basic carnivore in taste. "Thanks. My Mom taught me how to make French Toast this way."

They ate in silence for a few a while, enjoying the food and each other's company.

"So what happened with Lyosha?" Sherrin asked, finishing her toast and bacon.

Sesshoumaru looked at her as he pushed his empty plate away. "I had to kill him."

Sherrin nodded to show she understood why he had to do so. "But why did he act the way he did?"

"Anger and hatred. His family had been killed by hunters." Something in Sesshoumaru's voice indicated he knew exactly how Lyosha had felt.

"Could there have been any other outcome?" She had felt sorry for Lyosha before, more so now that she knew why he acted as he had.

"No. Anger and hatred was all he knew. He was alone with no one to care about him."

There was an undertone of emotion in his voice that told Sherrin he had experienced something similar. She picked up her plate and washed it in the sink, trying to find a polite way of asking about it. "It sounds like you know what he was going through," she finally said as he came over to rinse off his plate.

Sesshoumaru was quiet as he rinsed off the plate, remembering. After drying his hands he walked into the living room and sat in one of the chairs. Sherrin followed him, curious.

"I did. Some of it was my own fault." He sounded almost reluctant to talk about it.

Sherrin hadn't expected that. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

"It's something you need to know about me." He explained about what happened to him when he was little, almost getting killed by humans.

"Until that point, I hadn't really cared about humans one way or the other. After that, I hated them." He went on to explain about his father falling in love with a human, which created the brother he ended up hating. About his quest for power, the swords his father left them and his fights with his brother over the swords.

"So that just fueled the hatred and anger, making it stronger." Sherrin was amazed at this confession. Yet he had somehow gotten over it. That he hadn't cared one way or the other about humans didn't really surprise her. She had already guessed his personality was the reserved quiet type, preferring little interaction with others. She was in for more surprises though.

"We had one fight where I was injured. It was my own fault, so I don't blame InuYasha for it." He paused, remembering the day his life changed forever. "I was recovering and this little human girl found me. Despite my being a youkai and trying to scare her, she decided to help me. It was the first time anyone ever showed they cared about me."

This had to be Rin, Sherrin guessed. "How old was she?"

"Around six, I'd guess. After a few days I recovered and was about to go on my way, I discovered she had been attacked by wolves. I revived her with Tenseiga." At the expression on her face, he said, "I'll explain that later. From that point on, she followed me. She didn't talk at first so later I found out her name was Rin. She helped me through the hate and anger. It took a few years. Because of her, I learned how to care. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for her."

"You eventually fell in love with her." Sherrin could tell by his voice.

"She taught me how to love."

Sherrin decided to change the subject for now. Rin was an emotional subject for him, she could tell. "So what are your plans now?"

Grateful for the change, Sesshoumaru thought a moment. "I called home and left a message that I'm on vacation, so there's no hurry to get back." He looked at Sherrin thoughtfully. "I'd like to get to know you."

Sherrin smiled. "Heather said you'd want to do that. I'd like to get to know you as well. Do you still want to explore?"

"Yes. What is there to do here?"

Sherrin got out some maps, brochures and got on the internet. They spent the rest of the day trying to find things Sesshoumaru thought were of interest. He preferred to be outside and wandering, so parks were an obvious choice.

There were several lakes they could hike around. Places like that they could take Moose. They also decided on the Milwaukee Zoo and Museum. Moose would have to stay home on those days.

There was also The Wisconsin Dells, The Crane Foundation, The House on the Rock, and Copper Falls State Park.

One thing Sherrin wanted to do was go to Bisonridge Ranch. She needed to get more buffalo meat.

"Ever see a buffalo up close?"

"Other than pictures, I've never seen one at all." Sesshoumaru was intrigued to see what these animals really looked like.

"I have to make reservations. They do tours May through September." She called them up and made the reservation for Wednesday.

The evening was spent mostly talking. They had leftovers for dinner. Sherrin learned what Sesshoumaru liked in food. He didn't eat boxed or frozen food. He preferred his meat grilled; baked or broiled was okay, but never fried. He didn't need to eat as often as humans; his meals were usually whenever he got hungry.

After dinner, they talked about Moose. Sesshoumaru wanted to take him back to the vet for a check up and see if Moose was willing to go to another home. Sherrin looked at Moose, who was stretched out on the floor next to Sesshoumaru's chair. She doubted that Moose would go to another home. He seemed to have adopted Sesshoumaru.

Finally, after noticing Sherrin yawn a couple of times, Sesshoumaru got up.

"Come on Moose, time to go." Moose got up and followed Sesshoumaru to the door.

"What time are you coming over tomorrow?" Sherrin covered yet another yawn.

"How early do you get up?"

"Between 7:00 and 8:00. Maverick doesn't let me sleep any later."

"Around 9:00 then."

"Okay." She stopped him as he turned to go. "And Sesshoumaru?"

He looked back at her.

"Thanks."

"For what?"

"For being with me last night." She smiled at him.

He gave her a hint of a smile. "Anytime." He turned and went to the car. As he drove back to the motel, he knew one thing for certain: he wouldn't be going anywhere without Sherrin.

Sherrin watched Sesshoumaru leave then went back in the house. Maverick looked to see if the big hairy monster was coming back in. When Moose didn't appear, Maverick flicked his tail and looked at Sherrin as if to say 'Is about time the monster was gone!'

Sherrin smiled at the cat and was about to get ready when the phone rang. 'Heather' she thought. "Hello?"

"Hi Sherrin. Sorry I'm calling so late. How did everything go?"

"The youkai's gone." Sherrin didn't want to go into details, but gave Heather the gist of the story.

"So what are the plans now?"

Sherrin sighed, knowing what Heather was getting at. "We are just going to go places and see what there is to see. And yes, he wants to get to know me."

"What about you?"

"I'd like to get to know him as well." Sherrin could picture Heather doing a little victory dance.

"Good for you! I'll try not to bother you for a while. But please, please, let me know what happens, okay?"

Laughing, Sherrin promised. She hung up. "Okay cat, time for bed." She had a hard time falling asleep. She kept thinking of Sesshoumaru. She finally fell asleep; her last thought was how safe she felt when Sesshoumaru was with her.

Sherrin woke with a start when Maverick jumped on her. She looked at the clock: 7:41. She got up, took a shower, dressing in a pink t-shirt with Humming birds and flowers on it, white jeans and her usual hiking shoes. Breakfast was next on her list, right after feeding the meowing feline twining himself around her legs, demanding his food.

As she ate her breakfast of peanut butter toast and banana, the quietness and lack of a certain presence made her realize how much she missed the quiet conversation with Sesshoumaru. The house seemed empty without him and Moose. It was amazing to her how quickly she had gotten used to having them here.

She felt his presence before she heard the car. She looked at the clock as she went to open the door, 9:00 sharp.

"So what are we doing?" She asked as Sesshoumaru and Moose came in the door.

"The vet first, after that, whatever comes to mind."

"Your car or mine?"

"Doesn't matter."

"Mine then." Sherrin went and got her keys as well as her sketch book and pencils.

As they got settled in the car, Sherrin asked, "So where is this vet?"

"Outside Elkhorn."

Sherrin nodded and headed in the direction of Elkhorn. Sesshoumaru gave her directions but otherwise was quiet.

'So he's the silent type,' Sherrin thought to herself. That was okay with her. Conversation wasn't always necessary; sometimes quiet companionship was all that was needed.

It wasn't long before they reached their destination. There were two buildings, one large, one smaller. The smaller clinic was for dog, cat and other small animal walk-ins. The larger building handled horses, cows and other animals, including wildlife.

Sesshoumaru and Sherrin walked Moose into the smaller building.

Dr. Johansson was standing at the check in counter. "Ah, Mr. Takashi you remembered to bring Moose. Come this way." He led them down a hallway with several rooms.

They went into one of the examining rooms. Moose was too big to go on the exam table, so Dr. Johansson put Moose on the scale and checked him over there.

"160 pounds, good, scratches look great." He patted Moose. "You're doing great boy!" Johansson looked over at Sesshoumaru. "So do you still plan on keeping him?"

"I'll leave that up to Moose."

The doctor nodded. "That's easy enough to find out. Just leave the room without him and see what he does."

Sesshoumaru nodded and he and Sherrin went out the door.

They made it into the hallway but no further before Moose bounded after them. Moose looked at Sesshoumaru as if to say, 'You weren't really going to leave me were you?'

"I guess that answers that question," the vet said. "Do you plan on keeping with his training? He's had a year and half of training and is a qualified rescue dog."

Sesshoumaru nodded. "Yes. I've been reading about it to see what I need to learn."

"Good. If you have any questions, just call." He shook Sesshoumaru's hand. They thanked the vet and left.

"What now?" Sherrin asked.

"Some place we can take Moose and walk."

"I know a place." She drove a little further north, to Whitewater Lake. It took about 45 minutes to get there. Sherrin parked in a small parking lot of a little park area. Sherrin locked the doors and they wandered down one of the many meandering paths that wandered around the lake, through patches of forest and fields. Moose enjoyed a swim in the lake. He went fairly far out on the lake, using the powerful strokes that Newfoundlands are known for; not the usual "doggy paddle", but a sort of modified doggy breast stroke.

"So are you really going to keep up with his training?" Sherrin asked as she watched Moose frolic in the water.

"He'll be bored if I don't."

Moose charged out of the water and shook, spraying water everywhere.

"You're going to need to dry off before you get in my car," Sherrin said to the dog as he bounced around, water still dripping from his coat.

They wandered down more of the paths, mostly to give Moose time to dry off a bit before going back. They didn't talk much, just enjoyed each other's company.

"So you plan on working with Moose?" Sherrin asked as they walked along the path through a patch of woods.

Sesshoumaru nodded. "He's been trained for work. He'll get bored if I don't work with him." The trail ended at a residential area so they turned and went back.

"I'll need to get some things to work him with," Sesshoumaru said thoughtfully. "And for myself as well."

"Why yourself?"

"I hadn't planned on being here for more than a few days. I packed light."

"Oh. How long do you plan on staying?" Sherrin looked at him, fairly sure of his answer.

He looked at her. "As long as it takes."

She knew what he meant. "So you'll need clothes. We can go now if you'd like."

Sesshoumaru nodded. "If you don't mind?"

Sherrin smiled. "No, I don't mind at all." Sherrin knew he meant more than just the shopping.

As they walked back to the car, Sherrin's hand brushed against Sesshoumaru's. He gently curled his fingers around hers. Their hands stayed held until they reached the car.

Notes:

Moose has a thick double, oily water proof coat. Takes a while to dry.

The park they went to actually exists, though I may have changed it some by adding more trails to walk.


	11. Chapter 11Getting to KNow You

Finally, here is the next chapter! Sorry this chapter has taken so long. I wanted to make this chapter cover a certain period of time, to give certain feelings time to develop. So I had to figure out how much time to spend on each place and what transpires at those places. I got stuck for awhile, nothing came to mind. And just so you know, I have started the last chapter. Hopefully not such a long wait between them.

Chapter 10 Getting to Know You

The early morning sun peeked through the curtains of Sherrin's bedroom. Maverick was laying in a sunbeam, across her legs. She lay quietly, thinking as Maverick stretched and sat up. She thought about the walk around the lake. Being with Sesshoumaru somehow seemed right to her. She had had an easier time falling asleep, knowing Sesshoumaru was in the house.

The day before, after shopping for things Sesshoumaru needed for an extended stay, he had wanted to stop at the motel to drop them off. Sherrin had suggested he stay at her house so he didn't have to keep going back and forth. She had a guest room he could use. Sesshoumaru readily agreed to that. So he had checked out of the motel and drove the rental car back to Sherrin's.

They would take the rental car back to Madison and go to Bisonridge Ranch from there. Sherrin smiled to herself. Her life had gotten more interesting, even though in some ways more difficult. She couldn't tell anyone about Sesshoumaru, except Heather. One of the difficulties was adjusting to a new reality. She had always suspected there was more 'out there' than what most people believed. But to have that belief come true took some getting used to. Not that she minded.

'I wonder if I'll meet any other youkai.' She thought to herself as she got out of bed before Maverick could pounce on her.

After washing, she dressed in her usual attire, jeans, shirt and hiking shoes. The shirt was cream colored with a buffalo on it.

Maverick followed her out to the kitchen, loudly demanding breakfast.

"Is he always that loud?" Sesshoumaru asked from his seat on the couch, looking at one of Sherrin's books. Moose lay on the floor next to Sesshoumaru, pretending to ignore the noisy cat.

Sherrin smiled. "Only when he's hungry." She gave Maverick his breakfast. "Do you want anything to eat?" She called out as she made herself some toast.

"No thanks."

Sherrin had a simple breakfast of toast, banana and milk. She ate at the breakfast bar, where she could see Sesshoumaru. When she finished, she cleaned up.

"I just need to brush my teeth and I'll be ready to go."

"Okay." Sesshoumaru nodded at her as he paged through the book he was looking at: "The Atlas of Pern". He put the book on the coffee table when Sherrin came back out and got her purse and keys.

"No Moose, you stay." Moose had gotten up to follow Sesshoumaru. Moose visibly drooped and looked sad at being told to stay. "We'll be back."

"Poor guy looked really sad." Sherrin commented as they walked out to their cars.

Sesshoumaru gave a soft sigh. "Why adopt me?"

"You've proven to be a good pack leader. He trusts you. It's been proven that dogs are wired to look to humans for help. You were there when he needed help."

Sesshoumaru looked at Sherrin suspiciously. "How do you know all this?"

Sherrin grinned. "Animal Planet."

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow.

"It's a channel on TV devoted to animal programs, mostly educational." Sherrin explained. "You should watch it, you might learn something useful."

"Maybe," Sesshoumaru said as he got in his car. He waited for Sherrin to head out first, then followed her, keeping just one car length behind her.

During the drive to Madison, Sherrin decided to learn everything she could about Sesshoumaru, even though she knew where it would all lead: how they felt about each other. This in turn would lead her to what changes in her life she was willing to accept. Being the reincarnation of another person she felt she could accept. She did have an issue with the reincarnation thing regarding feelings though. Were Sesshoumaru's feelings strictly because she was Rin, or was he able to accept her as Sherrin? She needed to know.

Sesshoumaru's thoughts were similar to Sherrin's as he followed her to Madison. He compared Sherrin to Rin. Rin had been happy, friendly, and accepting of others. She had also been independent and self sufficient. Sherrin was the same. He wanted to get to know her likes and dislikes; he was sure they would be different than Rin's had been.

With both of them thinking about the other, they arrived at the Enterprise car rental. Sesshoumaru got out and waited for Sherrin.

"Are you sure you don't mind doing this?" He asked as she joined him.

"No, I don't mind. It would be easier for one, and I kind of like having you around."

Sesshoumaru nodded, pleased. He made sure nothing was left in the car and turned in the keys and paid for the usage. Then he and Sherrin made their way to Bisonridge Ranch.

Sherrin knew it would be at least an hour long drive. In that time, she was determined to get Sesshoumaru to talk about himself.

"Does your family know you're staying here longer than expected?" Sherrin thought the question was a good way to get Sesshoumaru to talk about himself.

"I left a message."

'Well that's not helpful,' Sherrin thought. 'Straight forward then.' She sorted her thoughts and said, "Tell me about your family."

Sesshoumaru glanced over at Sherrin. It pleased him that she wanted to get to know him but InuYasha wasn't exactly his favorite subject to talk about.

"You know a little about my brother." Sesshoumaru paused to think about InuYasha.

"You don't hate him any more do you?" Sherrin asked. She remembered that at one time, he had hated his brother.

Sesshoumaru gave a slight smile. "No. Not that I'd ever tell him that though."

That surprised Sherrin. "Why not?"

"He knows I don't hate him; he also knows it's something I won't say. We trust and respect each other, but even after all this time, neither of us feels comfortable saying it."

"So I take it you two don't get along very well?"

Sesshoumaru shook his head. "We try to have as little to do with each other as possible."

Sherrin shook her head, amazed that such feelings could last so long. She was reminded of something Sesshoumaru had mentioned when they first talked. "You said something about 450 years ago?"

By the time they reached BisonRidge Ranch, Sesshoumaru had told her about what happened 450 years ago: the brothers' silent mutual acceptance, learning about the future from Kagome's books and deciding to do something about it. The rules they came up with to live within the human world without the humans being aware.

They parked the car and paid their admittance fee. They walked around a bit then joined a small group ready to take the tour.

Sesshoumaru soon learned that "buffalo" were actually bison and related to cows, not the African Cape buffalo or the Asian Water buffalo. And that bison were quite large. Bulls, the males, could stand over six feet at the hump on their shoulders. The tour went from the corrals and video to the wagon ride. Sherrin had made sure to bring her camera. Chances were very good to get some close up shots of the icons of the American West. The wagon slows down and the bison approached, expecting handouts. At one point during the dusty, bumpy ride, as she was feeding a friendly bull, Sherrin plucked some hair from the hump. She grinned at Sesshoumaru. "It's supposed to bring you good luck." She put the small clump in her pocket.

Sherrin was pleased with the ride. She had gotten some good pictures and Sesshoumaru had seemed impressed with the bison. She noted he tended to ignore the other people on the tour but was polite enough to answer questions when asked.

When the ride was over, Sherrin took Sesshoumaru to the gift shop and store. She bought double what she would have normally gotten and added some bones for Moose. All in all, Sherrin had enjoyed her day. She hoped Sesshoumaru had as well.

The next week went pretty much the same. They went places, learning about each other and enjoying the time they spent together.

They tried mostly to go places Moose could go, but when he couldn't, they made sure to alternate with days he could. They went to a lake after the ranch, the Milwaukee Museum next day. Another lake hike, then the zoo.

At the zoo, Sherrin again took pictures, including some of Sesshoumaru. She also did some sketching, mostly of the big cats and of Sesshoumaru.

The next day they stayed home. Sesshoumaru decided to work with Moose. Never having trained a dog before, Sesshoumaru had gotten a Newfoundland training manual. It started with the basics and went into water rescue, tracking and carting. He read the book first, then took Moose out and worked with him. Moose was very patient, as if he knew Sesshoumaru was a novice trainer.

Sherrin sat on the patio and watched. She had her sketch book and made several sketches, some of just Sesshoumaru, some of just Moose and a couple of the two together. She enjoyed watching them play after the training session was over. Moose initiated the play by taking the float and dropping it at Sesshoumaru's feet. Sesshoumaru picked it up and threw it and a game of fetch was started. He made Moose work for the float, and after about an hour, Moose flopped on the grass, panting. Sesshoumaru sat next to him.

Sesshoumaru felt relaxed and content. He hadn't felt that way since Rin's death. He glanced over at Sherrin. She stopped sketching for a moment and smiled at him. He returned the smile.

After sitting quietly for a while, Sesshoumaru got up and went over to see what Sherrin had sketched. He sat on the picnic bench next to her and looked at her work. He wasn't surprised to see himself and Moose.

"Enjoy yourself?" Sherrin asked, smiling as he looked at the pictures.

"Yes. It's been very peaceful and relaxing here."

Sherrin leaned against him for a moment, thinking how fast she had become used to his comforting presence. They sat in silence, enjoying the peaceful afternoon.

"Hungry?" Sesshoumaru asked as Sherrin's stomach growled.

"Yeah." Sherrin smiled and went inside to make something to eat. Sesshoumaru followed. He didn't always eat with Sherrin. If he wasn't hungry, he just sat with her to keep her company or went to the living room to read. Sherrin had gotten used to his odd eating habits.

After dinner, as Moose enjoyed his bison bones, they watched Star Trek. Sesshoumaru found the positive outlook on the future to be refreshing. It would be nice to be accepted as a youkai rather than to have to hide his true self.

After a few episodes of the Star Trek marathon, Sherrin yawned and called it a night.

The next day, Tuesday, they went to the International Crane Foundation. Sesshoumaru was surprised to find that there were Red-Crowned Cranes, also known as Japanese Cranes, there.

"They're a symbol of good luck, longevity and fidelity in Japan," Sesshoumaru told Sherrin as they watched the cranes. They wandered around, checking out all the different types of cranes. The International Crane Foundation was a center for crane conservation that supported a breeding program for endangered cranes, and worked with other countries to help support crane populations world wide. Sesshoumaru made a mental note to make sure they got a nice donation.

The rest of the afternoon and evening was spent playing with Moose and Maverick, and to bed early as it had been a long day and they had a seven hour round trip drive to take the next day. Sherrin had decided on going to Big Eau Pleine Co. Park. There were lots of trails and a big lake to wander around there.

The long drive was filled with small talk and Moose occasionally putting his head into the front seat for a scratch. They also stopped once to let Moose stretch; he took up most of the back seat.

Sherrin had packed a lunch, mostly for herself as Sesshoumaru declined any food but took the water. There was also water for Moose.

After hiking around for about an hour, Sherrin decided on lunch. They had stopped by the lake so she watched Moose play around in the water. He did retrievals with the float that Sesshoumaru had brought along. After lunch, they hiked around some more. Trails wound around the heavily wooded park and along part of the shoreline of the lake.

At a small stream leading to the lake, Sesshoumaru came upon the scent he had smelled while tracking Lyosha. The scent here was fresher, not as old. He still could not identify it. He followed it for a few minutes, but it just kept going north. Though curious as to what left the scent, it wasn't a youkai so he had no real need to investigate.

It was getting late and Sherrin felt it was time to go home. As they made their way slowly back to the car, Sesshoumaru's fingers once again curled gently around Sherrin's.

The drive home was a quiet one. Sherrin had let Sesshoumaru drive, as she was tired. She leaned back in her seat, eyes closed. She wasn't asleep, just allowing her mind to wander. She had enjoyed the last week. She couldn't remember the last time she went on trips just for fun. Of course, her companion made the outings all the more enjoyable.

Sesshoumaru drove silently, occasionally glancing at Sherrin. She appeared to be asleep, but he knew she wasn't. He was quite content to spend however long it took for Sherrin to develop feelings for him. He could sense she liked him, which was a good start. He liked her, not just because she was Rin's reincarnation. Something about her appealed to him, like Rin had appealed to him. It was something he knew you just couldn't put into words.

Sherrin was grateful Sesshoumaru didn't want to talk. She wasn't in a talkative to mood; she wanted to think. She felt as if her life was about to make a major change. No matter what happened between them, things would never be quite the same for her. She examined her life; what did she want? Where did she want to go? What relationships did she want? Could she accept change? She needed to answer these questions before she could go beyond friendship with Sesshoumaru.

By the time they got home, Sherrin was able to answer the first question: She wanted to be happy, with a male companion who respected her desires and wants; she wanted to be able to continue painting and share her artwork, let others enjoy it. She wanted to help others, even if it meant just painting a picture for them. She did not want to be famous; she liked her privacy.

Sherrin was tired and hungry when she got home but didn't feel like cooking. She opted for left overs. "I hope you don't mind scrounging if you're hungry. I'm too tired to cook." She sat down at the breakfast bar to eat.

Sesshoumaru smiled. "I do know how to make my own food." Making a simple roast beef sandwich, he joined her.

Too tired to do anything, they went to bed early.

The next day, Thursday, they went to The House on the Rock, built by Alex Jordan and son, Alex Jr. The place was an eclectic collection of memorabilia crammed everywhere. Sherrin was nervous in the Infinity Room and didn't go all the way. The room was a glass room that extended out over the woods below. It got narrower until the end came to a point, making the room look longer than it really was. Sesshoumaru went all the way, then back to Sherrin. He put his arm around her. "I wouldn't let anything happen to you."

"I know. It just makes me nervous to see the ground way below me."

Sherrin enjoyed the carousel. It was the world's largest and had many different creatures on it as well as a few horses. Sherrin took pictures of the carousel for future use.

It was an exhausting day for both. The tour took several hours and they were both tired and hungry when the headed home. They stopped at a restaurant for dinner.

"So what did you think of the place?" Sherrin asked as they ate.

"It was…" Sesshoumaru paused to find an appropriate word. "Busy."

Sherrin grinned. "Overloaded the senses huh?"

"That's one way of putting it."

They finished their meal and continued home. They were tired, so after letting Moose out, they went to bed.

The next morning dawned nice and sunny so they went to a lake with Moose.

Saturday was also nice so they went to Wisconsin Dells; a very fun place with lots to do. They went on the scenic tours as the water parks were too public for Sesshoumaru to use.

Sunday, a summer thunder storm kept them home. While lightning flashed and thunder boomed, they watched the Animal Planet channel. A special feature on dogs was on. They watched the one about the dogs being dependant on humans and then Dogs 101 came on. One featured Newfoundlands. Sherrin made sure Sesshoumaru watched that one. Later, they watched movies. That's when Sherrin learned about the twins.

After a light dinner, they were watching "Knowing". Sesshoumaru's cell phone beeped. He pulled the phone out of his pocket and answered. Even Sherrin could hear the loud irritated voice on the other end complain about Sesshoumaru not keeping in touch.

Sherrin put the movie on pause so they didn't miss any thing.

Sesshoumaru let InuYasha rant for a few minutes then said "It's done."

"About time!" InuYasha was irritated that Sesshoumaru hadn't told him anything. "So why aren't you home then?"

"I left a message with Moriko, I'm on vacation."

Vacation? You? For how long?"

"I have no idea." Sesshoumaru could hear InuYasha grumbling about vacations, then Moriko's voice in the background asking if everything was okay.

"How's the vacation, Daddy?" Moriko had taken the phone from InuYasha.

"Fine."

"Have any luck this time?"

Sesshoumaru looked over at Sherrin. "Yes."

"You found her?" Moriko's voice was very soft.

"Yes." He had to hold the phone away from his ear, the shriek of delight was so loud Sherrin also heard it.

"Does she know?"

"Yes."

"Take your time, Daddy. I'm happy for you."

Sesshoumaru could hear the delight in Moriko's voice. "I'll talk to you later and let you know how everything goes." He slowly put the phone away after Moriko said good-bye.

"What was all that about?" Sherrin was curious to know who Moriko was.

"InuYasha wanted to know when I'm going home."

"And Moriko?"

"My daughter wanting to know how I'm doing." He watched Sherrin carefully. He knew that information would be a bit of a shock.

"You have a daughter?" Sherrin hadn't expected that.

"Twins actually. Boy and girl. Hikaru and Moriko."

Sherrin wasn't sure how she felt about that. "How old are they?" She tried to imagine young children looking like Sesshoumaru but couldn't.

"They're around 21 in human years."

Sherrin frowned. "21 human years?" She had a harder time picturing adults. They were only eight years younger than her. That made her feel really odd; yet pleased on another level. One thing that had bothered her about having a relationship with anyone was whether or not they'd want children. She couldn't have any, she was "fixed". She had had a ruptured cyst on an ovary and had to have everything removed. That was one of the causes of problems between Sherrin and her boyfriend in collage.

"Around 435 actual years." Sesshoumaru could see that Sherrin was slightly bothered by the age difference. "Remember, we have longer life spans. And Rin was my mate for a little over 150 years."

"150 years? How did she live so long? Wasn't she human?" Sherrin found Sesshoumaru still had surprises for her.

"Yes, she was human. She accidentally got some of my blood into her." He explained about youkai blood having healing powers to it, and that a very powerful youkai can extend the life of a human.

Again, Sherrin found out something she hadn't expected. She hadn't thought much of the age difference, or rather, life span difference. But he had given her more to think about. Sherrin put the movie back on play. She didn't want to continue the discussion, as it was leading to things she wasn't quite ready to openly discuss.

Sesshoumaru respected Sherrin's decision and didn't say anything more. They watched the rest of the movie in silence.

When Sherrin finally went to bed, she had an odd assortment of dreams: most were of two children, a white haired boy and a black haired girl. A couple were of meeting adult versions of those children. But the one that woke her up was the one where Sesshoumaru left because she couldn't have children. She lay in bed, thinking about that dream. She sincerely hoped that wouldn't be the case. She hoped he wouldn't care if she could have kids or not. She didn't want him to leave.

Sherrin had trouble going back to sleep. Her mind kept going over those dreams. Some of the dreams with the children were memories, she was sure. But the rest were her mind's way of dealing with what she had learned. While it was odd to know Sesshoumaru had children nearly as old as herself, in human years she reminded herself, she was curious to meet them. They weren't hers physically, but on some emotional or spiritual level, she felt an attachment to them.

The last dream told her a lot. That she was worried about how Sesshoumaru might feel about her inability to have children could mean only one thing: her heart had made its choice. Though it had been slightly less than two weeks, Sherrin felt as though they had known each other for years. Being with Sesshoumaru just felt right.

Sherrin realized she had the answer to at least one more question: What relationships did she want? A permanent one, one with a certain man. That led to the answer of a third question: Where did she want to go? Where ever he went.

She sighed. 'Okay heart,' she thought to herself. 'You win.' She knew she and Sesshoumaru would have to have a long talk very soon. She fell asleep, thinking Heather would be delighted with how things were turning out.

Notes:

All the places they went exist. Wisconsin has lots of lakes. I've been to the museum, the zoo and the crane foundation. I would love to visit the House on the Rock. And I order bison meat from BisonRidge Ranch.


	12. Chapter 12 Forever Mine

_Sorry this took longer than expected. I kept getting sidetracked by other things, and I got stuck on some parts. It also got longer than I really wanted so I decided to do one more chapter._

Chapter 11 Forever mine

Monday morning started out partly cloudy. Occasional shadows passed the bedroom curtains as the clouds drifted across the warm summer sky. As Sherrin woke up she remembered the dreams from the night before and the conclusions she came to. It was later then her normal time to get up and Maverick was no where to be seen. Because of the dreams, she didn't get a very good night's sleep. So when she took a shower, she used soap and shampoo that would help wake her up.

Dressing in a pink t-shirt with cute kittens on it, white jean shorts and her high tops, she went out to see what Sesshoumaru and Moose were up to.

Dressed in his customary white, Sesshoumaru was on the front porch, waiting for Moose to do his morning business. He had known when Sherrin woke up during the night and that something was bothering her. But rather than going to her bedroom to see what the matter was, he felt it would be better to let her tell him when she was ready.

Sherrin went into the kitchen to find Maverick eating his breakfast. He gave her a look as if to say, "At least _someone_ knows when to get up and feed me!"

"Sorry Mav," Sherrin said as she stroked the cat for a few minutes. She fixed herself peanut butter toast and a banana for breakfast. She took her food and went to join Sesshoumaru.

"Good morning," Sesshoumaru greeted Sherrin as she came outside. The clouds had quickly given way to a clear blue sky.

"Good morning." Sherrin sat down and started to eat.

"Where are we going today?" Sesshoumaru asked.

"We are staying home." She didn't elaborate, but continued to eat.

"Oh?" Sesshoumaru was surprised. They had stayed home yesterday due to weather. It was a nice day; he had expected to go somewhere.

Sherrin smiled at the look on his face. She wanted to surprise him on their next trip. They would have to pack, as it was going to be an over nighter. Right now, she needed to talk to him about her dreams and how she felt.

Sherrin wasn't sure how to bring up the subject. She thought a few minutes, then mentioned the dreams about the children.

"Could they be memories?" She asked after telling him about a particular dream where both children had gotten a scolding from Rin.

"Most likely." Sesshoumaru thought about the times the children got in trouble together. Not often. It was usually Hikaru who got in trouble. "Did the dreams bother you?"

"No. I was just curious because the children seemed so familiar to me." She still wasn't quite sure how to bring up the other dream that had really bothered her.

She finished her breakfast and went back inside. As she cleaned up her mess, she saw Moose lay down in the back yard, panting.

"What are you looking at?" Sesshoumaru had followed her in when he saw Moose go around back.

"Moose. He looks hot." She looked at Sesshoumaru. "I have an idea."

She went and found the wading pool she had gotten a few years ago to cool off during the hot humid summers. She had rarely used it. It was in the small shed by the side of the house. She noticed the tent and other camping gear. She placed that in easy reach then took the pool out to the back yard. As she filled it with water, Moose jumped in, splashing water everywhere.

"Moose!" Sherrin laughed. "You're supposed to wait."

Sesshoumaru joined them and before long a wet game of fetch started. A ball, float, and a frisbee alternated getting thrown into the pool. The game lasted over an hour, Moose getting Sherrin and Sesshoumaru soaked. Maverick had enough sense to watch from a distance.

When Moose finally flopped down, Sherrin found a dry spot and sat down in the warm sunshine. She was wet, but the sun would dry her off quick enough. Sesshoumaru joined her.

"Have fun?" Sherrin grinned at him when he sat next to her.

"Yes." He looked at her. "The last two weeks have been very enjoyable."

Sherrin smiled. "For me too," she said. "It's been nice doing things with someone besides my self."

"Don't you do things with Heather?"

"Well yeah. But with Heather it's girl things. It's been nice doing things with you." She looked at him, hoping he'd understand what she was trying to say.

"Spending time with a male companion is different than spending time with a female companion." Sesshoumaru guessed that that was what she meant.

"Yes, exactly." Sherrin thought about how much she cared for the man next to her. If he were to leave now, she would miss him. Her life would be sad and lonely without him. But she still had the one little issue to talk to him about.

"I wish it didn't have to end." She sounded wistful, even to herself.

"Why do you say that?" Sesshoumaru sensed that she was trying to lead up to what had been bothering her.

"Well, eventually you'll have to go back to Japan."

"True enough." He waited.

"I'm not sure how I'd feel about your going back."

"I don't plan on going until you feel ready to come with me."

"There is something I think you aught to know." She told him about the cyst and what the doctor had told her when she was 19. "It's the reason I've always refused Heather's attempts to get me to date. I was always worried any serious 'boyfriend' would leave after finding out I can't have children." She looked at Sesshoumaru.

"And that's what has been bothering you?"

"Yeah," Sherrin looked a little embarrassed.

Sesshoumaru reached over and gently brushed damp hair away from her face. "It isn't an issue. There's no need to let it bother you."

"You really don't mind?"

"No. Rin wasn't able to have any more children after the twins. So it really doesn't matter."

She was relieved to hear him say that. And glad to talk about something else. "Am I like Rin?" This was something she was curious about.

"A little. You have the same mannerisms as Rin, some of the same personality traits. But you're also a little different."

"Would you like me if I weren't Rin's reincarnation?"

"I believe so. You would remind me enough of Rin that I'd want to get to know you."

"What happened to Rin?"

Even after all this time, Rin was still an emotional subject for Sesshoumaru. But Sherrin made it easier for him to talk about it. Though he wasn't sure how she'd feel when he told her what he did to the people who killed Rin and the others.

"Rin was killed by youkai hunters." He went on to tell Sherrin about how he had gone to visit Hi'Iki with the twins and had felt it happen. He told her about his mad dash back, leaving the twins with Hi'Iki, what he had done to the youkai slayers.

Sherrin wrapped her arms around him and leaned against him. "It must have been very hard for you."

"Yes." With his arm around her, he thought back to that day. "It was the twins who really helped me through it." He had completely lost control until Hi'Iki showed up with them. It was because of the twins that he was able to gain control.

"How old were they when it happened?"

"They would have been between nine and 10 human years when it happened."

"It must have been difficult for them too. So you were a single parent?"

Sesshoumaru nodded.

"I think you were a good parent. I would like to meet them some time."

Sesshoumaru was pleased to hear this. "Does this mean you'd like to stay with me?"

"Yes. I like being with you."

"Are you sure?"

Instead of answering, Sherrin leaned forward and kissed him. Sesshoumaru willingly returned the kiss.

They sat together allowing themselves to dry in the sun. The afternoon sky was cloudless, the sunshine warm. They sat quietly, enjoying each other's company while they dried.

Sherrin suddenly jumped up. "We need to get ready." She headed for the house.

"For what?" Sesshoumaru asked as he followed her in.

"Tomorrow." She was being enigmatic.

Sesshoumaru could tell she was excited about something, but she was keeping it a secret. He was intrigued. Rin had always excitedly told him what she was planning or thinking. This was new for him. He decided to let her do things her way.

Sherrin knew she couldn't keep the whole trip a secret. She had to tell him a few things. But she really wanted to surprise him.

"You'll need to pack for at least three days." So saying, she disappeared into her room.

Sesshoumaru followed her, wanting more information.

"Go pack." Sherrin pushed him out the door. "Clothes and whatever you may need for an overnight stay," she said before he could say anything. "You do have an overnight carrier?"

Nodding, Sesshoumaru went to do as she said. He smiled to himself. In the guestroom, he got his carry all bag and started putting clothes in it, thinking. Rin had sometimes told him what to do but she had always told him why. Sherrin wasn't telling him more than he needed to know. That they were going somewhere over night was obvious, but where and why he had no idea. He wanted to know the where and why, but felt Sherrin wanted to surprise him. He didn't want to spoil that for her. As he packed, he heard Sherrin go outside and wondered what she was doing. Squashing his natural instinct to investigate, he went into the livingroom, found a book to read and waited for Sherrin.

Sherrin hurried out to the shed to get the tent and pack it in the car before Sesshoumaru saw what she was doing. She gathered all the camping gear and stored them in the back with the tent, checking off a mental list of required camping items. She hadn't gone camping since her collage days and had to remember what was needed. She didn't want to forget anything. She also made sure to check the required essentials for Moose. The collapsible water bowl, doggie backpack and food they already had in the car for when they went places with Moose. There was enough dog food for the trip and Moose's shot records were up to date.

After the batteries for a powerful flashlight were packed, Sherrin went inside to sit and relax. She was pleased that Sesshoumaru had not come out to see what she had been doing. She had been worried he'd spoil everything by coming out to help.

Sesshoumaru glanced up as Sherrin came in. "What are we doing for the rest of the afternoon?"

Before Sherrin could answer, the phone rang. She picked it up. "Hello?"

"Hey Sherrin, how's everything going?"

"Hi Heather. Great. What's up?"

"Well, Mark and I thought we'd take you and Takashi out to dinner. Mark wants to meet him."

"Hold on a sec, I'll ask." Sherrin turned to Sesshoumaru. "Heather wants to know if we'd like to go to dinner."

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow. He had heard the conversation and was sure Heather had another reason other than Mark. Curious as to what it might be, he said, "Sure."

"He says sure. When and where?"

"The Elk Restaurant. 7pm."

"Okay, we'll meet you there." Sherrin hung up. "Mark wants to meet you."

"Heather has another motive besides that."

"She most likely wants to see how our relationship has developed." Sherrin sighed and sat next to Sesshoumaru. "I did promise to tell her how it was going."

"You haven't talked to her at all in the last two weeks."

"No. I've been having too much fun with you. How about a movie? We have time."

Sesshoumaru agreed.

Sherrin put a movie in the DVD player and sat next to Sesshoumaru on the couch. She snuggled closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder. She was content to just sit, and enjoyed the cute, romantic movie about a little robot who fell in love and wanted to hold hands.

"I don't know about you, but I need to change for dinner." Rather than go change right away, she went to feed Maverick and Moose.

Sesshoumaru followed after. He would also have to change, as his own clothes were dirty and wrinkled. He helped feed Moose then went to change.

Dressed in a light blue shirt, black jeans and a dark blue sport coat, Sesshoumaru waited for Sherrin to finish changing. When she finally came out, he looked at her appreciatively.

Sherrin had put her hair up in a loose bun and dressed in a blue light weight skirt that clung to her hips but flared out loosely to just below her knees, and a white form fitting short sleeved shirt.

"Nice," Sesshoumaru said as Sherrin walked up to him. He put his arm around her and they went out.

Sherrin greeted Heather and Mark when they met in the parking lot. "This is Takashi," she said, introducing Sesshoumaru to Mark. She had remembered to use his 'current' name as that was the name by which he was known.

The two men shook hands and they all walked into the restaurant. They were met by a hostess at the door.

"Good evening. I'm Tabitha. Table for four?"

"Yes please," Heather confirmed. Tabitha led them to a table and gave them menus after they had settled in their seats. Heather and Mark on one side, Sherrin and Sesshoumaru on the other.

"Trish will be your waitress." Tabitha left them to look over the menu.

"May I have water please?" Sherrin asked when Trish appeared, ready to take their order.

"Sure. Anyone else want something to drink?" Sesshoumaru also took a water, Heather a milk and Mark coffee. "I'll be right back with your drinks." She hurried off to get the drinks.

Sherrin looked over the menu and chose the Grilled Pit Ham with the vegetables of the day. Heather picked the same. Both men decided on the shrimp and steak. Sesshoumaru went with the potato and Mark took the salad.

Trish came back with their drinks and took their orders.

"So how is everything going?" Heather asked as they waited for their food.

"Great. We've gone all over the place."

"What do you think of our humble state of Wisconsin?" Mark asked Sesshoumaru.

"Nice. Not as crowded as Japan."

The conversation followed the theme of how Sherrin and Sesshoumaru, or rather Takashi, had spent their time until their food arrived. The conversation resumed after they started eating.

"So what are your plans for the rest of your vacation?" Heather asked innocently.

"Whatever Sherrin wants to do." Sesshoumaru looked at Sherrin as he spoke.

"Are you two getting together?" Heather asked straight out, rather than try in a round about way to find out how they felt about each other.

"Heather!" Mark looked at his wife, surprised at such a question.

"What? I want to know." She looked at Sherrin who was blushing. "You are aren't you?" Heather beamed at Sherrin when Sherrin nodded.

Mark shook his head. "Sorry about Heather, she can be outspoken at times." He looked at Sherrin. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." Sherrin ate some more before continuing. "It just seems right being with Takashi." She looked at Sesshoumaru, still blushing.

"How about you?" Mark felt like a brother to Sherrin wanted to make sure she and Takashi felt the same way.

"I didn't come here looking for someone special, just to relax. But I did and I'm glad." He looked at Sherrin.

"Didn't I tell you he was the right one?" Heather told Sherrin. She smiled at Mark, who had shook his head at his wife.

They finished eating with lighter conversation.

After dinner, which Mark paid for, they went out and walked slowly back to their cars, each couple arm in arm.

When they reached their cars, Mark gave Sherrin a hug. "I hope this works out for you."

"Thanks Mark." Sherrin said as she returned his hug.

"Nice meeting you Takashi." Mark shook Sesshoumaru's hand. "Enjoy yourselves."

"Thanks, we will."

Mark got in the car and waited for Heather.

Heather gave Sherrin a hug. "I'm happy for you Sherrin. This is exactly what you need. Don't be a stranger now okay?"

"I won't. And thanks Heather." Sherrin gave her best friend a big hug.

Heather turned to Sesshoumaru. Impulsively she gave him a hug. "I'm happy for you too."

Surprised, Sesshoumaru thanked her.

Heather stepped back and put her hands on her hips. "You better take good care of my best friend," she said in her sternest voice. She already knew that Sherrin's safety and happiness was of utmost importance to him but she couldn't help teasing him.

Sesshoumaru smiled, knowing she was teasing. "I will."

Heather got in her car and Mark drove them home.

Sherrin and Sesshoumaru got in their car and headed home. She was looking forward to the next day and her surprise for Sesshoumaru. She was also tired and wanted to go to bed early as they were getting an early start in the morning.

notes: Elk Restaurant is real as is the food they picked.


	13. Chapter 13 The Trip

I hadn't planned on this many chapters, but the last one got too long.

Chapter 13 The Trip

They got an early start Tuesday morning as it was a seven hour drive to their destination.

Sherrin had taken a quick shower, dressed in Star Trek t shirt and jeans and had a banana and peanut butter toast to eat before leaving. As she ate, she noticed Sesshoumaru was outside with Moose.

'Does he ever sleep?' she wondered to herself. He was always dressed and doing something when she got up. She finished her breakfast, made sure Maverick had food and water for a few days and grabbed her overnight bag and went out to the car.

"Are you ready?" Sherrin asked as she put her bag in the back of the car.

Sesshoumaru nodded, got his bag off the porch and followed Sherrin to the car and put his bag in next to hers.

"Come on Moose," Sherrin called, holding open the back seat door. Moose jumped into the car, happy to be going somewhere.

Twice during the long drive they stopped to let Moose out. They talked during the drive, but not once about where they were going.

Close to their destination, Sherrin remembered something Sesshoumaru had mentioned before and asked about his swords.

"Our Father made a sword for my brother and one for me." Sesshoumaru explained about the swords and why they were given them.

"So Tenseiga was to teach you compassion. Seems to me Rin taught you more than the sword did."

"Yes, I think so too. But maybe that was what Father had intended all along."

"Whatever the reason, I'm glad it worked." Sherrin smiled at Sesshoumaru.

"So am I."

Still smiling, Sherrin turned off the main road on to the park road. They stopped at the ranger station to sign in and find out the rules. They were told that dogs were to stay on leash and that the Doughboy Trail was a nature trail and dogs were not allowed there. Thanking the ranger, Sherrin headed in the direction of the campsite, which was the south camp area. She had reserved the campsite farthest away from every one else, knowing Sesshoumaru would prefer to be away from so much human activity.

"This is what you had planned?" Sesshoumaru hadn't expected camping. He was pleasantly surprised.

"Yup." Sherrin grinned as she got their gear out of the car. Sesshoumaru helped her set up the Sundome tent and then moved out of the way and watched with Moose as Sherrin finished unpacking the rest of the camp gear.

By the time they were done it was after four in the afternoon.

"Too late to do any hiking but we can go walk to the little lake or just wander around a bit," Sherrin suggested.

As they wandered along toward the lake, several people commented on the large black dog. One family stopped and asked about Moose.

"What kind of a dog is he?" The man, who introduced himself as Mike, asked.

"Moose is a Newfoundland. He's trained for water rescue," Sherrin, who was holding the leash, answered.

A little boy, around four years old, hid behind his mother.

"Matthew is afraid of dogs," the mother, Maria, said.

"It's okay. Moose won't hurt you," Sherrin told the little boy. Moose wagged his tail but stayed with Sherrin.

Matthew peeked around his mother and smiled shyly.

Mike gave Moose a few pats on the head. "He's very well behaved. Thanks for letting us pet Moose." The little family went on their way.

Sherrin and Sesshoumaru continued their walk along the lake. Moose would occasionally look intently at the lake, as if checking on the swimmers. After walking for about an hour, they turned back. It was getting late and Sherrin was tired and hungry.

They discovered their nearest neighbor was the family they had already met. They greeted the family as they walked by, noting that Matthew kept an eye on Moose.

Sherrin got out the camp stove and started dinner; buffalo steaks and potatoes. While she was busy with dinner, Sesshoumaru fed Moose and walked him in the designated area for pets.

When he got back, Sherrin had dinner ready.

"This wasn't what I expected," Sesshoumaru commented as he ate.

"I wanted to surprise you."

"It's been a very long time since I've done anything like this."

"I hope you enjoy it. I have another surprise for you tomorrow." Sherrin grinned at him.

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow at her. "You're just full of surprises aren't you?"

"I'm not telling."

"I won't ask." They finished their dinner and sat, watching the activity around the campground. Some families were eating; some were playing with balls or Frisbees. There was a friendly game of football going on between two families. One father was cleaning fish he and his family had caught in Loon Lake. All in all, the campground sounded happy.

Sherrin snuggled close to Sesshoumaru and rested her head on his shoulder. "This is nice," she muttered softly.

"Yes," Sesshoumaru agreed as he put his arm around her. It wasn't long before Sherrin fell asleep. Carefully Sesshoumaru picked her up and carried her into the tent.

There was only one sleeping bag; a double sized one for couples. Another surprise. He wondered if Sherrin had intended for them to sleep together. He put Sherrin on the sleeping bag and covered her with an extra blanket. Then he lay down next to her, put his arm around her and gently pulled her closer. She snuggled against him but didn't wake up.

Sesshoumaru felt himself relax. Closing his eyes and inhaling Sherrin's scent, he allowed himself to fall asleep.

The next morning, Sherrin woke up to the unexpected feeling of an arm around her.

"Good morning."

Sherrin smiled at the sound of the deep voice. She rolled over onto her back and looked at Sesshoumaru. "Don't you ever sleep?"

Sesshoumaru had moved back a little to give Sherrin room to move. "Yes. Why do you ask?"

"You're always awake when I get up."

"I don't need much sleep."

Sherrin reached over and brushed a lock of hair that had fallen over Sesshoumaru's eye. She then gently stroked his face. Something about him tugged at her heart. She smiled at him.

Sesshoumaru leaned over and they kissed, deep and passionate.

Moose whined loudly by the door of the tent.

Sherrin giggled as Sesshoumaru sighed and got up. "I better take him out."

"Okay." Sherrin washed up and changed clothes while he was out with Moose.

When Sesshoumaru came back, Sherrin was sitting outside the tent eating breakfast. He took the opportunity to clean up and change clothes also. He gave Moose a treat and sat next to Sherrin. "So what are we doing?"

"You'll see." Sherrin smiled and finished eating. It was around nine when she packed a back pack with a hiking kit; food, water, and emergency supplies, including a big towel for Moose in case he got wet. She also had her camera. "Okay, let's go." Grabbing Sesshoumaru's free hand, she headed off.

Her first destination was actually the restrooms by Loon Lake. After making good use of the pit stop, they headed out on the North Country National Scenic Trail. The trail was over four miles but Sherrin didn't plan on going the whole way. She planned on stopping at Sandstone Ledges.

The trail basically followed the river, sometimes close, sometimes further away. The trail was kept cool in most places by trees, with the sunlight filtering down through the leaves. Birds made their presence known by singing but were rarely seen. Occasionally butterflies fluttered by. For the most part it was a quiet peaceful hike.

They took their time, walking slow and holding hands. Sherrin let go of Sesshoumaru only when stopping to take pictures. Sherrin got several of Copper Falls, Brownstone Falls, one of Sesshoumaru and Moose on the bridge and one of Sesshoumaru sitting on a boulder. As he sat there on the boulder, she studied him. He seemed at ease in the wilderness, like he belonged there. There was something about him, something wild yet gentle, deadly yet kind.

"What?" He realized she was looking at him. He came down off the boulder.

She smiled and wrapped her arms around him. "You are a creature of the wild, meant to be wild and free."

"What do you mean?" He was unsure where she was going with this conversation.

"You aren't meant to be locked up, chained or tethered by anyone or anything."

He raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"You aren't meant to be stuck in an office working, or being somewhere because that's where someone else wants you to be. Whatever you decide, I want to be with you wherever you go, whatever you do." She leaned her head against his chest. "I love you," she whispered.

He held her gently. "You are forever mine. I will always love you."

Hand in hand, they continued. On a few occasions, they stopped to talk to other hikers. Moose was popular with everyone, being such a friendly, well behaved dog.

It took them nearly two hours to reach Sandstone Ledges. Sherrin spent a good 15 minutes taking pictures, making sure to get some of Sesshoumaru and Moose. There were toilets there and Sherrin used them before heading back.

As they headed out, they ran into the family with the little boy, Matthew. They chatted for a few minutes, Matthew peeking out behind his Mother at Moose. Moose wagged his tail at Matthew. The boy smiled shyly back. They said good bye to the family and continued on.

When he spotted a faint trail heading to the river, Sesshoumaru decided on going that way.

"You don't mind?" he asked Sherrin before he followed the trail.

"No. The ranger may have said it was risky, but with you I know I'm safe." She smiled at him.

The faint trail, most likely a game trail, led to the river and followed along its course. It was shady and cool as the sun had a harder time getting past the closely growing trees. The underbrush was thick and grew close to the trail. Sometimes the trail veered away from the river but then swing back to it. Sesshoumaru let Moose off his leash, since they weren't on a main trail. It was also easier for Moose to navigate without the leash getting snagged on a bush.

It wasn't too long into their hike that Moose growled softly and Sesshoumaru picked up the strange sent he was unable to identify. It wasn't very old, a few days at best. The sent headed for the river, along a very faint game trail, as though whatever it was had intended to either get a drink or cross the river.

Sherrin noticed Sesshoumaru's searching behavior and asked him what was wrong.

"Nothing. Just that odd sent."

Moose trotted a few feet up the trail and looked back as if to say "Come on."

They continued on their hike, going for about 20 minutes, stopping occasionally for pictures. The trail at this point led to a small sunlit sandy beach and quiet pool, away from the fast moving current of the river. Sesshoumaru heard faint cries coming from up river. He jumped up on a boulder in the river and looked. He could just make out something small being carried down river.

"What is it?" Sherrin could tell Sesshoumaru had spotted something.

Before he could answer, Moose plunged in to the river, swimming diagonally across. Moose had also heard the cries. Instinct and training took over. The small something was the little boy, Matthew. The current was fast and strong. Moose made for a spot where Matthew would be swept along by the current.

Sherrin had moved to where she could see and was horrified to see the little boy being swept along the river. She noted Sesshoumaru was crouched on the boulder, ready to spring into action if needed. She called encouragement to Moose, as the dog struggled against the current. She could see Matthew, arms flailing as he was swept this way and that by the rushing water.

Moose's judgment was accurate. Matthew was wept right against the dog. He grabbed handfuls of fur, hanging on for dear life. Moose turned and tried to make his way back to the little beach. But the current pushed them a little further down the river before he could reach the bank.

As Sesshoumaru followed Moose's progress, Sherrin heard yelling and crying coming down the trail. She went back up to meet the parents.

"Matthew! Did you see him? He fell in the river!" Maria was nearly hysterical.

"Moose went after him." Sherrin put her arm around the woman and led her to the little beach. "It's okay. Moose is a water rescue dog, he'll get Matthew."

"But Matthew is afraid of dogs," Maria cried. Mike held his wife, trying to calm her. He saw Sesshoumaru help Moose come out of the river. Matthew was clinging to Moose like a rider on a runaway horse.

"Oh thank God!" Mike exclaimed.

"Matthew!" Maria ran to Sesshoumaru, who had pried Matthew off Moose.

Matthew was shivering from the cold water. He was covered with scrapes and bruises from bumping into rocks. "Mommy" he cried through chattering teeth.

Maria took Matthew from Sesshoumaru. She held him tightly, whispering "I thought I'd lost you."

Sherrin came up with Moose's towel and wrapped it as best she could around Matthew.

"How can we ever thank you?" Both Mike and Maria said. "You saved Matthew." Mike went to shake Sesshoumaru's hand.

"It was Moose who rescued him."

As Moose gave himself a thorough shake, two rangers arrived. The parents had called them on their cell phone when Matthew had first fallen in, up by Sandstone Ledges. He had tripped over a hidden tree root and fell down the bank into the river before his parents could do anything.

Everyone praised Moose, giving him hugs. Moose happily wagged his tail.

Matthew squirmed in Maria's arms and wanted to be put down. She set him down and he went to Moose and gave him a hug. "Nice doggy." Moose licked his face. Maria laughed and cried at the same time.

As one ranger looked Matthew over, "You should take him to the hospital to have him looked over," the other thanked Sesshoumaru and Sherrin. "We normally discourage going off the main trails, but this one time we're glad you did. You're a hero Moose," the ranger said as he scratched Moose on the head. Both rangers ignored the fact that Moose was off leash.

After another round of thanks and praise, the rangers and Matthew's family headed back to the main trail.

Sesshoumaru and Sherrin continued on their way. The rest of the hike was uneventful; Sherrin was thankful for that. "You know, chances are the whole park will have heard about what happened." She looked at Sesshoumaru. "Be prepared for a lot of human interaction."

Sesshoumaru sighed. "I guess I'll have to get used to that."

"Yup, if you want to keep up with Moose's rescue work."

They held hands the rest of the way back.

The trail came out close to the bridge by Devil's Gate. From there they got back on the main trail.

Sure enough, the first group of hikers they came across wanted to know if they were the rescuers of the little boy.

Sherrin, taking the lead, explained that Moose was a trained rescue dog just doing his job.

"Awesome job man!"

"What a good dog!"

"Nice work!"

"Wow, how'd you train him to do that?"

Moose got lots of praise and attention for his good deed. He enjoyed the attention, happily wagging his tail.

Similar experiences happened on the rest of the hike. Everyone they met had heard of the heroic rescue. By the time they made it back to camp, around three in the afternoon, Sesshoumaru was exhausted. Dealing with the humans was tiring, what with all the congratulations, having to answer questions about Moose, getting his hand shook.

As they walked back to their tent, they noticed the campsite next to theirs was still set up, but no one was around.

"They must still be at the hospital. I hope Matthew is okay."

"I'm sure we'll find out." Sesshoumaru sat down on the cool grass in the shade of a tree. Moose flopped down next to him and put his head in Sesshoumaru's lap. As he sat and stroked Moose's head, Sesshoumaru thought about the incident. He was pleased that Moose had done well.

"What are you thinking about?" Sherrin came and sat next to them, her hand on Sesshoumaru's shoulder.

He reached up and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "Moose. He knew exactly what to do."

"So do you think you can handle doing rescue work?"

He gave a rueful smile at that statement. "I'll get used to it. He's a working dog, he won't be happy unless he's working."

"We'll just make sure he gets all the attention, not you." True to her word, whenever someone came over to talk or ask questions, Sherrin took charge. Sesshoumaru answered only if he was asked directly. Sherrin made sure that Moose got most of the attention.

Later that evening, Matthew and his family came back from the hospital. They went to see Sherrin, Moose, and Sesshoumaru.

"We just wanted to thank you again," Maria said. "Matthew will be fine, thanks to Moose. Just scrapes and bruises."

Matthew pointed to the one bandage he had on the side of his head. He smiled at Moose and patted the big black head. Moose wagged his tail and licked Matthew's face. Matthew giggled.

"The most amazing thing is; Mathew said he wants a dog like Moose." Mike said. "We've always wanted a dog, but Matthew has been afraid of them."

"Well, Newfoundlands are great with kids. I recommend doing research though, and talk to Matthew about what you learn."

"We will. And thank you." Maria gave Sherrin and Sesshoumaru hug, then the little family went back to their tent.

Finally, Sherrin and Sesshoumaru had the rest of the evening to themselves. They sat under the stars, enjoying the peace.

Sherrin snuggled closer to Sesshoumaru. "Didn't I tell you I'd keep the attention away from you?"

"Yes you did." Sesshoumaru put his arms around her. "You've just been hired as my human relation's person."

Sherrin smiled and leaned against him. "And how much do I get paid?"

"Whatever you want."

"How about in kisses?" Acting upon her words, she turned and kissed him.

He returned the kiss. "I think we can work that out." They kissed again, a soft gentle kiss.

"I'm so glad we found each other," Sherrin whispered, one arm around him and resting her head against his shoulder.

"So am I." Sesshoumaru put an arm around her.

They sat that way for awhile, the close contact giving both of them a sense of belonging.

Sherrin gave a big yawn. "Time for bed I guess." She didn't really want to leave the warm comfort of Sesshoumaru's touch. She felt safe and secure. But if she didn't, she'd fall asleep and he'd have to put her to bed, again. She stood up and stretched. Looking at Sesshoumaru she asked, "Are you coming?"

He nodded and stood up and followed her into the tent, letting Moose in as well.

Being too tired to change, Sherrin took off only her shoes and crawled into the sleeping bag. After Sesshoumaru lay down next to her, she turned on her side, put her arm across his chest and used his shoulder as a pillow. She gave a contented sigh. In a few minutes she was asleep.

Sesshoumaru lay awake for a while, thinking. He had been lucky to find Sherrin. Life was easier, more acceptable with her, as it had been with Rin. She also brought the best out in him. The trip was proof of that. He'd had more dealings with humans in one day than in the last 300 years. Despite what the turn of events meant for him, he was content with the change in his life. Relaxing, he reached up and stroked Sherrin's hair and allowed himself to fall asleep.

Morning sunlight streamed through the open door of the tent that Moose had figured out how to open. The light woke Sherrin and she opened her eyes to find Sesshoumaru looking at her. She reached up and gently stroked his face. He bent his head down and they kissed, gently at first, then with more passion. The kiss lasted almost a minute, both of them breathing heavily when they parted.

Sherrin smiled, thinking how nice it was to wake up with Sesshoumaru. Desire stirred within her and she wondered what kind of lover he would be.

Sesshoumaru rested his head on his hand, reached over and brushed an errant lock of hair out of Sherrin's face. "Sleep well?"

"Yes." Sherrin stretched and sat up. "Ready to head home?"

"Most definitely." Sesshoumaru had had his fill of humans, and wanted Sherrin to himself. Desire was starting to stir and a campground just was not a very private place to let those desires loose.

Notes:

I had intended to end it with this chapter but it got too long, again.

Once again, I had to do some research. I even looked at a map of the park to give me an idea where to have Moose rescue the little boy. I don't know what most of the river really looks like, but it is fast moving with lots of small rapids. The falls are beautiful, from what scenery I saw. I made up the game trail that followed the river.


	14. Chapter 14 Desires

_**Finally! Sorry it has taken so long! I had the hardest time putting this one all together. Hope you all enjoy the ending**__**.**_

_**Chapter 14 Desires**_

_**This chapter contains a lemon scene! **_

They took their time getting ready to leave. Sherrin packed up the camping gear and loaded it in the car as Sesshoumaru took down the tent.

"You're leaving already?"

Sherrin turned at the sound of the voice. It was Maria.

"We've had enough excitement for a while," Sherrin said, smiling.

"I guess you would." Maria smiled back. "I'm glad you were here. We'll be leaving soon too." She took hold of Sherrin's hands. "Without your help, I don't know what would have happened to Matthew."

"I'm just glad he's okay." Sherrin gave the woman a hug. "Take care and remember, if you do decide to get a Newfoundland, research first. Find a good breeder."

"Thanks. We will." Maria left so Sherrin could finish. When everything was packed up, they headed out. It was after nine, and the long drive home meant they wouldn't get home until after four, later if they stopped at any place along the way.

The drive home was a fairly quiet one. Sherrin didn't feel the need to talk, still wore out from the day before. Sesshoumaru drove, occasionally glancing at Sherrin, wondering what she was thinking about.

Sherrin's mind was on the future. She would go where ever Sesshoumaru went. She knew she would have to make arrangements about the house and figure out how Maverick and Moose would travel with them. She had no intention on leaving the big cat. He was her child, he would go with her.

Sesshoumaru was also thinking about the future. He knew Sherrin was willing to go with him. But there were things she needed to take care of; the house, the dog and cat. Sesshoumaru was quite certain that Sherrin would not leave either animal behind. He also had some things to consider.

So the drive home was a quiet one, each thinking about what needed to be done.

The late afternoon was warm and slightly breezy as they pulled into the driveway.

Sherrin got out of the car and looked at the camping gear. Sesshoumaru moved to get the gear but Sherrin stopped him. "I'll get tomorrow," she said, too tired to care about it at the moment.

Moose bounded out of the car and up onto the porch where he was greeted by Maverick. The big cat was sitting on the railing and sniffed noses with Moose. After making sure it was Moose, the big cat stood up as Sherrin came up the steps and demanded attention. "Okay, okay." She unlocked the door and opened it. "You sure are a bossy cat."

As always when she goes out, Sherrin had left the radio on for Maverick. As she walked into the living room, she heard an announcer say:

"And now the amazing rescue story. Up in Copper Falls State Park, tragedy almost struck a small family. It started when Matthew, the young son of Mike and Maria Walsh, fell into the river. His frantic parents chased after the boy as he was swept away. Were it not for the heroic efforts of a water rescue dog, the story would have had an unhappy ending. The Newfoundland dog is known for their ability to pull people from the water. The little boy was lucky to have one of these dogs near by when he fell in. The dog jumped in the river and pulled the boy to safety. The owners of the dog were not available for comment but the boy's parents said they are eternally grateful to them."

"We got on the news." Sherrin was about to say more but was stopped by the phone.

"Hello?"

"Was that you guys on the news?" Heather's voice was excited.

"You mean the boy who fell into the river?"

"Yes."

"Yeah, Moose pulled the boy out."

"So how does it feel to be heroes?"

Sherrin sighed. "Very tiring."

Heather laughed. "So how has your vacation been?" She was curious to know how things were developing.

"Very nice and enjoyable."

"So, what are your plans?"

"I have a lot of things to consider before making any plans."

"You love him don't you?"

Sherrin could hear the smile in Heather's voice. "Yes. But there are other factors involved. I just can't up and leave."

"Don't let him get away. Move to Japan if you need to. Mark and I will take care of things here."

"Thank you Heather. It's nice to know I have someone I can count on."

"What are friends for? I'm happy for you Sherrin. You deserve this. Now go relax with your soul mate." With that, Heather hung up.

Sherrin was moved by Heather's offer. Sesshoumaru came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. "What did Heather say?"

Sherrin leaned back against him. "She told me to move to Japan and that she and Mark would take care of things here."

"That's very considerate of her." On very rare occasions, Sesshoumaru found a human worthy of his respect. Heather was one of those rare humans.

After a light dinner Sherrin went to sit out in the back yard. She just wanted to sit and relax, enjoying the evening and the man with her. They sat quietly for about an hour, watching the evening sun go down. Birds called to each other, creating a relaxing atmosphere. A doe and fawn came slowly out of the woods, alert to danger. Sherrin recognized the doe; she had white splotches on her side. Sherrin had been able to hand feed the doe apple pieces. The doe stopped about halfway into the yard, her large ears moving to catch any unfamiliar sound. The fawn stopped next to her, waiting for the signal that it was safe. The doe sniffed, looking straight at Sherrin and Sesshoumaru. Not recognizing Sesshoumaru's scent, the doe stomped her foot and snorted. She and her fawn turned and bounded back into the woods.

After the deer disappeared into the dark woods, Sherrin stood up and stretched. "How about a movie?" Sherrin wasn't ready for bed yet, even though she was tired. She still felt a little stressed from the excitement of their long trip. "Okay." Sesshoumaru got up and followed her inside.

LEMON, LEMON, LEMON!!! Beware!!!

Sherrin found a movie and put in the DVD player.

Sesshoumaru settled next to Sherrin the couch, Moose on the floor by his feet. Sherrin started the movie; about a cute little robot that fell in love and wanted nothing more than to hold hands.

As she watched the movie, Sherrin felt a little like the robot. She reached over and held Sesshoumaru's hand. Sesshoumaru gently curled his fingers around hers. Sherrin leaned against him and he put his arm around her. The close contact stirred feelings in Sherrin and she snuggled closer. Sesshoumaru moved his arm so he could gently stroke her back. The feelings blossomed into desire. Sherrin looked at Sesshoumaru and saw he felt the same way. They kissed, gently at first, then with more passion.

As the kiss deepened, their hands started touching each other, gently stroking. Desires flared as they continued their exploration. The movie was forgotten in the heat of the moment.

Finally Sesshoumaru pulled back and looked at Sherrin. Desire was evident in her face. She nodded at his unasked question. In a move Sherrin hadn't expected, Sesshoumaru stood up and picked her up off the couch.

He carried her to the bedroom and gently put her on the bed. He could smell her desire and it added fuel to his own. He sat on the bed next to her and slowly undressed her, stroking the exposed skin.

As her body reacted to the gentle touch, Sherrin's hands roamed over Sesshoumaru's arms, shoulders and chest. When he lay on the bed next to her, she started undressing him, lightly stroking exposed skin.

When they finally managed to get all their clothes off, Sherrin looked Sesshoumaru over. She was amazed at his physique. He had a natural athlete's build. She hesitantly reached over to rub his rather large erection. She was surprised at how soft it felt. She was startled to hear a soft hiss and looked at Sesshoumaru, thinking she had done something wrong. His eyes were closed in pleasure. She wrapped her fingers around him and he gently thrust into her hand. He stopped after a minute, reached down and gently rubbed between her legs. An aching need flared with in her, making her moan.

"Are you ready?" Sesshoumaru asked; desire evident in his voice.

Sherrin could only nod.

He lay on top of her, the head of his penis pressing against her opening. Sherrin moaned and squirmed at the feel. She thrust her hips up, encouraging him to enter.

He gently eased himself in, slowly pushing until he could go no further, and pulled back out.

Sherrin had gasped at the feel. Sesshoumaru was large and stretched her wider than she had expected.

"Okay?" Sesshoumaru's voice was soft but husky with desire.

"Yes." Sherrin encouraged him and he thrust gently, going slow at first, faster when Sherrin responded to him with thrusts of her own until they reached a pace that suited them. She gasped at the wave of pleasure that washed over her.

Sherrin hadn't expected it to feel so good. Her only experience with sex had been painful at best. She hadn't really cared for it. With Sesshoumaru it was different. He was gentle with her, considerate, making sure she was okay.

A second wave washed over her, causing her to cry out and dig her nails into Sesshoumaru's back.

Sesshoumaru thrust one more time. Sherrin matched his thrust with one of her own. A wave of pleasure rocked them, a tide pool of sensations Sherrin had never felt before. She heard Sesshoumaru emit a soft growl of pleasure just as she cried out his name. They collapsed on the bed, holding each other as the sensations ebbed away.

Sesshoumaru rolled over on his side, pulling Sherrin with him. He lay quietly until Sherrin's breathing returned to normal. Tears slowly slid down her cheeks. Sesshoumaru gently brushed them away.

"That was the most amazing feeling," Sherrin said softly when she felt she could speak. "I've never felt anything like it." She gently stroked his face. "Is it always like that with you?"

The corners of Sesshoumaru's mouth turned up. "According to Rin it was."

Sherrin smiled. "I never experienced love making like that. It was always painful and I didn't like it."

"How about now?" Sesshoumaru felt a brief moment of anger that Sherrin had suffered pain in an act that was supposed to be pleasurable. The anger quickly left though, after hearing her response.

"It was very enjoyable. If it's always like this, how are we ever going get out of bed?" Sherrin grinned at him. She snuggled closer and closed her eyes. "I love you," she whispered softly.

Closing his eyes, Sesshoumaru held her tightly. "My Sherrin." It didn't take long before they were both fast asleep.

Sherrin sat in the tub, enjoying the hot water. She had woken up sore and decided a soak would be good. Sesshoumaru was already up and she had realized it was later than when she usually got up. She smiled as she thought about the night before. It had been amazing. She had never known a person could feel that way.

After the water had cooled and she felt less sore, Sherrin got out of the tub, dried off with large soft towel. She dressed in a light blue t-shirt with a tiger on the front, white jeans and white tennis shoes. She brushed her hair back, got a blue scrunchie and put her long hair in a pony tail.

She found Sesshoumaru, dressed in his customary white, sipping hot tea in the kitchen.

"How are you feeling?" Sesshoumaru put the light blue tea cup in the sink and rinsed it out. Sherrin embraced him. "Sore but wonderful." She let him go and looked at him, smiling. "You?"

"Content."

Moose choose that moment to want in and the phone choose that moment to ring.

As Sesshoumaru let Moose in, Sherrin answered the phone.

"Hello Heather, what's up?"

"Mark wants to know if you want to keep the house locked up or rent it out?"

"Hmm. Not real sure on that yet."

"Well, Anthony says he's looking for a place he can go to get away from the city."

Sherrin had met Anthony and trusted him. He was a confirmed bachelor and had an apartment in Chicago. He liked to de-stress in the country, away from the hectic world of the city.

"Shouldn't be a problem. We'll work out the details and let you know."

"Thanks Sherrin." Heather hung up. Sherrin turned and found Sesshoumaru watching her.

"Heather has someone who can basically house sit for us."

Sesshoumaru gave a slight nod. "So what are we doing?"

"First, something to eat." That said she made herself a quick breakfast of eggs, toast and milk. She sat down at the counter to eat. "We need to make arrangements for Moose and Maverick. The house is taken care of." As she continued to eat, she thought of other things that needed taking care of.

"First thing," Sherrin told Sesshoumaru as she cleaned up her breakfast dishes, "is to research importing animals into Japan."

From his shipping company, Sesshoumaru knew and understood the quarantine rule. "There is a 14 day in home quarantine providing we have all the correct documents for them."

Sherrin nodded. "That's good. So we'll just need to make sure all vet records and shots are up to date." She did more research and found that rescue dogs were allowed in with out being in quarantine. As long as Moose's search and water rescue certificates were kept up to date, it wouldn't be a problem.

"Shipping would be a problem…" Sherrin looked at Sesshoumaru. He raised an eyebrow. "Then again, maybe not."

"My company does have a private jet."

Sherrin's next step was to make arrangements to up date all shots and documents and have it all signed by certified vet. After being on the phone for nearly an hour, she went through the house with Sesshoumaru to decide what she wanted to take with her and what she wanted to leave. She also made a list of things Anthony was to leave alone.

"There's much more to moving than one would expect," Sherrin said at one point, sitting on the couch, taking a break.

"Humans make everything difficult." Sesshoumaru remarked.

Sherrin smiled. "I agree. But humans have lots of rules and regulations on certain things that must be followed if you don't want to get into trouble."

She continued with her arrangements after a few minutes. It took the rest of the day to set up everything she needed to do, passports, health checks, mail, anything she could think of. By nightfall, she was exhausted.

There wasn't much Sesshoumaru could do to help her, but he did make arrangements for the private jet and whatever needed to be done for Sherrin's arrival in Japan. He spent a little time in the late afternoon outside with Moose.

After a light dinner, Sherrin sat on the couch, too tired to do anything else. Sesshoumaru sat down and pulled her to him. She snuggled against him.

"I didn't know moving out of the country would be so tiring." Sherrin rested her head against Sesshoumaru's shoulder. It didn't take long before she was asleep. Sesshoumaru picked her up and carried her into the bedroom and placed her on the bed. He sat down for a few minutes and just watched her sleep. He was amazed that she was willing to go through all the hassle of such a major move just for him. After watching for a few more minutes, he joined her in bed, pulled her close and allowed himself to relax. He too fell asleep.

The next several days were spent running errands and taking care of the important things that needed doing for an out of country move. The last thing they did was get Sherrin her passport. Once that was done, they took the next day to relax.

Sherrin woke to a stomach massage. Maverick was walking on her. "Maverick!" Sherrin pushed him off. He landed on the floor, protesting loudly. Sherrin got up, washed and dressed in a flowery t-shirt and blue jeans. She brushed her hair, pulling her long hair back in a pony tail. She went out to the kitchen for breakfast. Sesshoumaru was already there, drinking tea. By now, Sherrin was used to Sesshoumaru being up when she woke. He was either taking care of Moose or in the kitchen drinking tea.

"Morning," she said as she came over to him. She kissed him lightly before making herself some cereal and toast. While she was eating, Sesshoumaru went out with Moose.

Sherrin finished her breakfast and went out to the back yard.

"I'll be right back, I'm getting the mail," Sherrin told Sesshoumaru as he worked with Moose in the back yard.

"Okay." Sesshoumaru paused a moment, his senses picking up a familiar presence.

Sherrin didn't get a lot of mail, but there was bound to be some as they had been very busy for a few days. She walked down to the mail box at the end of the driveway. As she pulled what little there was from the box, a car pulled up.

"Can I help you?" Sherrin asked as the driver got out of the car.

The man displayed a very charming smile. He looked similar to Sesshoumaru, with long white hair. His eyes were a bright aquamarine blue. "Hello, I'm Hi'Iki."

"You're Sesshoumaru's friend."

"Ah, so you know." Hi'Iki knew from Moriko that Sesshoumaru had found Rin's reincarnation. Smiling, he took hold of her hand and bowed.

"Yes, everything, or at least most." Sherrin smiled back, gently removing her hand from his. Sesshoumaru had mentioned something about Hi'Iki being a flirt. She headed back up to the house, wondering what Sesshoumaru would say when he saw Hi'Iki.

"So what brings you all the way out here?" Sherrin asked as he walked beside her.

Hi'Iki grinned. "I convinced Sesshoumaru's brother I'd be the better choice to come out here and let him know what's going on."

"And what is going on?"

Sherrin and Hi'Iki both looked up at the sound of the no nonsense voice.

Having already sensed Hi'Iki, Sesshoumaru waited until Hi'Iki had followed Sherrin up the driveway before coming around the side of the house, Moose in tow.

Moose made his way over to Hi'Iki and sniffed. Moose sensed this was another like the pack leader, and a pack member, so he was a friend. Moose greeted Hi'Iki happily and went back to Sesshoumaru.

"Well you know InuYasha's fit to be tied since you haven't gotten back yet." Hi'Iki shrugged. "You know InuYasha."

Sesshoumaru made a sound between a grunt and a growl. "So what else?"

"He said that Chinese company called again. They doubled their offer."

Sesshoumaru made a face. "No."

"That's what InuYasha told them."

"What do they want to ship that you say no to?" Sherrin was curious as to why Sesshoumaru flatly refused.

"Fur." At the look on Sherrin's face he explained, "Let's just say the Chinese fur farms aren't exactly humane."

"Oh." Sherrin didn't know the full extent of what went on at a fur farm in China, but since she didn't believe in humans wearing real fur, she was sure she didn't want to know.

"As I'm sure you know, Sesshoumaru isn't overly fond of humans, so he tends to get aggravated when they do stupid things."

Sherrin smiled. "I know."

"He once dumped a whole boat load of grain all over the dock and had the grain company clean it up."

"Why?" Sherrin knew there had to be something wrong with the grain.

"It had Gambian rats in it." Sesshoumaru glared at Hi'Iki.

"True." Hi'Iki enjoyed teasing Sesshoumaru.

"What's a Gambian rat?" Sherrin wasn't fond of rats. They carried diseases and caused lots of property damage.

"It's a large rat used as food in Gambia," Sesshoumaru explained. "They were brought over here as pets until it was discovered they carry monkey pox."

"Ick." Sherrin shuddered.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot. There's some sort of creature down in Mexico that needs looking into. It supposed to look like a floating person." Hi'Iki shrugged

Sesshoumaru gave a soft sigh and looked at Sherrin. "Guess the vacation's over."

Sherrin smiled. "Okay. I'm ready to go when you are."

Notes:

Sorry it's taken me so long to finish this story. Apart from having difficulty putting my scenes together, I got side tracked by a game on facebook.

I really wish I hadn't seen the website on Chinese fur farms.

The Gambian Giant Pouch Rat was introduced to the US as pets until it was discovered they can carry monkey pox and people who had them were told to get rid of them. One very bright breeder let 7 or 8 go on Grass Key in the Florida Keys and they are doing quite well there. Animal Planet Channel, "Ratzilla". I think Ratzilla said they carry cow pox, but another show, I watched, "Killer Aliens", said they carry monkey pox. Killer Aliens was on APC as well, about invasive species.

I'm not sure about rescue dogs, but it seems to me that a search and rescue dog entering another country for work wouldn't be quarantined. UK has a much stricter rule, which really needs to be up dated regarding dogs who are actually working, such as seeing-eye dogs and rescue dogs. Japan does have a 14 day in home quarantine if all proper documentation is met.


End file.
